SCSU volleyball reflects on program's turnaround ahead of NCAA tournament

Zach Dwyer, St. Cloud Times
·4 min read

WARRENSBURG, MISSOURI — St. Cloud State volleyball head coach Chad Braegelmann first took over the program in 2015 as the Huskies came off a 1-19 finish in conference play.

He grew up around the area in Cold Spring, seeing the success of other SCSU programs in baseball, football, basketball and more. Braegelmann thought volleyball should be no different.

Six years later, the Huskies are riding a 17-game win streak as they make their second-consecutive appearance in the NCAA tournament. They open against Concordia-St. Paul at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday in the regional hosted by Central Missouri.

St. Cloud State junior Phebie Rossi celebrates a kill Friday, Oct. 15, 2021, at Halenbeck Hall.
St. Cloud State junior Phebie Rossi celebrates a kill Friday, Oct. 15, 2021, at Halenbeck Hall.

"One of our coaching friends ... posted something on social media (saying) 'wow it was such a quick turnaround, we knew you guys could do it,'" Braegelmann said. "I looked at (associate coach) Marci (Taumalolo) and said quick?"

"It's been six, seven years that you grind," he added. "You put in all this work, but to see the joy on (the players) faces and the celebrations and the victories and those things that are the parts that are fun to see."

Almost poetically, the Huskies finished the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference regular season with a 19-1 record, a complete flip from six years prior. They also won their first-ever NSIC tournament title two weeks ago.

"Watching them walk around and hold their heads high; (seeing) them interact with other sports teams ... our women are so much more confident in their volleyball ability and how they see themselves," Braegelmann said. "There's been so much more respect from other (high school) programs around here."

More: SCSU volleyball receives No. 2 seed in Division II tournament

St. Cloud State head coach Chad Braegelmann speaks with assistant coach Marci Taumalolo Friday, Oct. 15, 2021, at Halenbeck Hall.
St. Cloud State head coach Chad Braegelmann speaks with assistant coach Marci Taumalolo Friday, Oct. 15, 2021, at Halenbeck Hall.

Stellar season

Senior hitter Linsey Rachel came to the Huskies four years ago with a goal of making a difference. She didn't want to join an established program, instead desiring to build something up at St. Cloud State.

Rachel led the team in kills her freshman and sophomore years and has produced 420 kills this year, only narrowly trailing sophomore Kenzie Foley at 431 for the team lead. Rachel also leads the team with 363 digs.

"It's been a blast ... making so many memories and checking off so many goals as our team," Rachel said. "We're gonna just try (to) keep doing what we're doing, because everything has been working so far. We have to come out strong (this week)."

More: SCSU volleyball wins first conference title since 1982

St. Cloud State senior Maddy Torve and junior Phebie Rossi jump for a block attempt Friday, Oct. 15, 2021, at Halenbeck Hall.
St. Cloud State senior Maddy Torve and junior Phebie Rossi jump for a block attempt Friday, Oct. 15, 2021, at Halenbeck Hall.

A lot of their success has come in their serve-receive, while their blocking has grown tremendously in the past two years. Braegelmann said getting other teams out of system on serves and being able to play in-system to get the ball to redshirt senior setter Maddy Torve has been key.

Torve led the NSIC with 1,354 assists this season, and junior Abigail Groeneweg was first in service aces at 47 total. Junior Phebie Rossi also easily led the conference in total blocks with 156.

"We ended the conference (season) as one of the top-blocking teams," Braegelmann added, as the Huskies also led the conference in hitting percentage. "That's been a great tool we've added to our tool belt."

More: St. Cloud State volleyball wins NSIC tourney

St. Cloud State senior Linsey Rachel waits to serve Friday, Oct. 15, 2021, at Halenbeck Hall.
St. Cloud State senior Linsey Rachel waits to serve Friday, Oct. 15, 2021, at Halenbeck Hall.

Familiar opponent

St. Cloud State matched up with their first round opponent Concordia-St. Paul twice during the regular season, splitting the two meetings.

The Golden Bears handed the Huskies their last loss on Oct. 1 at home, with the Huskies having one of their lowest hitting percentage outputs this year. Consistency and improved defense will be a key this week for SCSU to make a run.

The Huskies are 2-6 all-time in the NCAA tournament, winning two matches in a run to the Elite Eight of the 1995 tournament. They've only made two appearances since, losing three-set matches in the first round of 2004 and 2019.

Eight of the 17 current players were a part of the 2019 tournament run, where the Huskies took a huge jump from 15 wins in 2018 to 25 wins in 2019, including a runner-up finish in the NSIC tournament.

While that season ended with a 3-0 loss to Sioux Falls in the first round, that NCAA tournament experience could still prove valuable when SCSU opens up play in Missouri on Thursday afternoon.

"That was a long time ago; we have been there before, so we're more confident going into it this weekend," Rachel said. "This year we're more ready and determined to win."

Zach Dwyer is a sports reporter and photographer for the St. Cloud Times. Reach him at 320-406-5660 or zdwyer@stcloudtimes.com. Follow him on Twitter @sctimeszach.

Support local journalism. Subscribe to sctimes.com today.

This article originally appeared on St. Cloud Times: SCSU volleyball reflects on program's turnaround ahead of NCAA tournament