St. Cloud State University Volleyball Team Selected as Preseason Favorites

Strategic Insights -

The St. Cloud State University Athletics department recently announced that the SCSU Volleyball team has been selected as the preseason favorites in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Volleyball Preseason Coaches' Poll. The team accumulated 212 points, including eight of the 16 first-place votes, to secure the top spot in the poll for the first time in program history. Notably, senior middle blocker Ella Thompson was named the Preseason Player of the Year for the conference.

Key Takeaways:

  • The St. Cloud State University Volleyball team has been selected as the preseason favorites in the NSIC Volleyball Preseason Coaches' Poll, finishing first with 212 points and eight of 16 first-place votes.
  • Senior middle blocker Ella Thompson was named the Preseason Player of the Year for the conference, marking the first time in program history a coach and player have received regional honors.
  • The Huskies return four of six starters from last year's team, including reigning AVCA All-Americans Ella Thompson and Emma Berran, as well as Second Team All-NSIC Selection Hannah Bruskiewicz and NSIC All-Tournament Team pick Shelby Kimm.
  • Thompson, a Lakeville native, was a first-team All-Central Region selection by the AVCA and a second-team all-region pick by the D2CCA, while Berran was named an AVCA All-American and a First Team All-NSIC pick.
  • The Huskies have played Simon Fraser three times, San Francisco State twice, and Central Washington twice, with SCSU and Western Washington having never met on the volleyball court before.
  • The 2025 NSIC Volleyball season will begin with non-conference matches on Thursday, September 4, while the NSIC schedule begins on September 19, with the regular-season champion determined by the 20-match conference schedule.
  • The 2025 NSIC Volleyball Tournament will be an eight-team tournament, with the quarterfinals hosted at the top four seeds on Tuesday, November 18, and the semifinals/championship matches hosted at the highest remaining seed.

Statistics:

  • The St. Cloud State University Volleyball team accumulated 212 points in the NSIC Volleyball Preseason Coaches' Poll, including eight of the 16 first-place votes.
  • Ella Thompson scored 30 points in hitting percentage last regular season, ranking No. 30 among DII players.
  • Emma Berran holds the No. 4 ranking in career assists in program history and surpassed 1,000 assists in each of her first three seasons.

Sources:

  • St. Cloud State University Athletics Department news release
  • Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Volleyball Preseason Coaches' Poll
  • American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) website
  • NCAA Central Region All-Tournament Team selection