By Joey Hudson / Asst. News Director / @Joey4udson

KEARNEY, NE – The St. Cloud State Huskies took down the Missouri Western Griffons in the first round of the NCAA Division II volleyball tournament, winning three sets to one.

The Huskies took an early two-set lead after winning the first set 25-21. They pulled ahead early in the second and never slowed down, taking it 25-11. Set three played out differently for St. Cloud. After building a 20-12 lead, the Griffons battled back and pushed the set to extra points, winning 27-25.

The Huskies regrouped and got back in front in the fourth and final set. Despite another strong effort from Missouri Western, St. Cloud closed out a 25-21 win to seal the match. Abby Wachal and Sam Zimmerman led the way for the Huskies with 14 and 13 kills. When asked about their game plan after the match, Wachal said, “We just talk about staying aggressive, hitting really high and hard.”

St. Cloud advances to play the winner of the game between Nebraska Kearney and Oklahoma Baptist tomorrow, December 5, at 7:00 pm. The game will be live on RadioX.