The St. Cloud State University Women’s Volleyball team enjoyed a historic season in 2021 breaking records and earning awards while taking the program to new heights.
The Huskies finished the regular season 24-4 overall along with a near-immaculate 19-1 record in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) play to claim their first regular season conference title since 1982.
Earning the No. 1 seed in the NSIC Tournament after a strong regular season, St. Cloud State cruised through the conference tournament enroute to its first NSIC Tournament Championship in program history. As a result, the Huskies earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament as the No. 2 seed in the Central Region, reaching the tournament for the second consecutive year.
The year ultimately ended in December in Warrensburg, Missouri in St. Cloud State’s opening match of the NCAA Regional, but still saw a season concluding with a record of 27-5 overall and included a program record 17-match win streak from Oct. 1 to Dec. 2.
“We had a strong group of upperclassmen that knew how to compete, how to lead and played well in many big matches for us,” said Head Coach Chad Braegelmann. “We also had some fantastic women that contributed as great teammates off the volleyball court and specifically, were key parts to our success on the bench during matches. Their energy was infectious and they helped their on-court teammates be successful, by pointing out open shots, by helping with their confidence and being an ear for them when their teammates needed it. I could not be prouder of this team.”
The season was already an impressive one, but the accolades and accomplishments don’t stop there. Multiple Huskies set program records and earned personal achievements during the 2021 season.
Kenzie Foley and Linsey Rachel became the first hitters since the early 1990s to record more than 400 kills in a single season, and Maddy Torve graduated as one of the best setters in program history eclipsing 4,000 assists during the year.
Along with those achievements, Braegelmann was named NSIC Coach of the Year; Foley was named NSIC Freshman of the Year, AVCA Central Region Freshman of the Year, and AVCA Division II National Freshman of the Year (first time in program history); and Torve earned NSIC Outstanding Senior of the Year honors.
The Huskies also had four All-NSIC selections, four NSIC All-Tournament Team selections, (Foley, Rachel, Torve, Phebie Rossi), four NSIC All-Tournament Team selections (Foley, Rachel, Torve, Phebie Rossi), eight Academic All-NSIC selections (Rachel, Rossi, Torve, Morgan Baufield, Kobie Dills, Bella Erne, Rachel Houle, Allison Naughton), one CoSIDA Academic All-District selection (Torvi), four AVCA All-Region selections (Foley, Rachel, Torve, Rossi), two D2CCA All-Region selections (Torve, Foley).
It certainly was a historic season for the St. Cloud State Volleyball team, both in terms of overall team performance and individual outcomes. And the Huskies will look to only continue that trend of success in 2022 and beyond.
“I am so proud of the work these young women have put in to help elevate this program,” Braegelmann said. “They give up free time in the summer to make a commitment to their teammates and this program, to physically improve their fitness and to play volleyball together, as a team. That work has, I believe, shown a direct relationship to the improvement we’ve made on the volleyball court.”
2021 Huskies Highlights
19-1 NSIC record, first regular season conference title since 1982
- NSIC Tournament Champions for first time in program history
- Program record 17-match win streak
- Second straight appearance in NCAA Regional, highest seeding in program history (No. 2 seed in Central Region)
- Chad Braegelmann named NSIC Coach of the Year
