St. Cloud State dropped to 15-11 as #9 UMD (20-4) took the Huskies down in straight sets on Halloween.

 

SCSU competed well against the Bulldogs, with the largest set loss being an 8 point swing, but their offense struggled to initiate scoring chances. Any team will struggle to make a good pass on a swing by UMD’s lethal outside hitters, and the Huskies found that trend to remain true. SCSU had 9 reception errors in the match and often were forced to send a free ball back across. SCSU did find success when they were able to set to the pins, as Freshman Erin Navratil recorded 10 kills on .308 hitting and Redshirt Freshman Abby Templin found the pumpkin patch 6 times on .286 hitting. Freshman setter Maddy Torve carried her recent success into the match, finishing with 20 assists, 5 digs, and an ace. SCSU hit .197 on the night.

 

The Bulldogs, ranking first nation-wide in nearly every offensive category, had a field day on the attack. The squad hit .314 in the match and felt a boost from their 9 service aces. Freshman Kate Berg shook off a tough weekend (20 kills and 21 errors) to post 13 kills, 13 digs, and 2 aces on .267 hitting. NSIC Player of the Year candidate Sarah Kelly continued her unbelievable play with 10 kills on .429 hitting. Senior Allison Olley racked up 8 kills and 6 blocks on .471 hitting, while fellow middle Abby Thor hit .417 with 6 kills.

 

SCSU will stay at home this weekend to take on the University of Sioux Falls and #2 Southwest Minnesota State University. Both matches can be heard on the KVSC Sports Stream.