Head Coach Michelle Blaeser

St. Cloud State University Director of Athletics Dr. Morris Kurtz named Michelle Blaeser the Huskies fourth head women’s volleyball coach in school history back in March of 2010.

In her first season at the helm, Blaeser helped lead the Huskies to their best season in six years with a 14-14 overall mark (9-11 NSIC) during the 2010 season. She also helped coach senior middle hitter Kayla Tschida to an All-Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Honorable Mention nod.

For the first time since the 2004 season, the St. Cloud State volleyball team cracked the top-ten in the Central Region poll. Under the direction of first year head coach Michelle Blaeser, the Huskies were ranked tenth in the region for two consecutive weeks. The NSIC sported the top-five teams in the region and six of the top-ten.

A professional highlight for Blaeser in 2010 was garnering her 200th career victory on Nov. 12 in Halenbeck Hall with a 3-0 clean sweep over the University of Mary. Her career head coaching mark now stands at 201-123 in 11 seasons.

Blaeser, a St. Cloud native, and Technical High School graduate, has over 20 years of coaching experience, including 19 years at the collegiate level, and 11 years as a head coach.

Prior to Blaeser's stint at St. Cloud State, she served as the head volleyball coach at nearby College of St. Benedict where she also served as an assistant athletic director and compliance director from 2000-2010.

In ten seasons, Blaeser compiled a 187-109 overall won/loss record. The 2009 Blazers posted a 26-6 overall record and a 10-1 mark in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC). The Blazers tied for the MIAC regular season title and won the MIAC playoff championship. Blaeser was named the 2009 MIAC Coach of the Year. Prior to the 2009 season, the Blazers had finished second in the league two straight years. St. Ben’s advanced to the 2009 NCAA Division II Regional quarterfinals.

Blaeser guided her St. Ben’s program from a 14-win season in 2000 to a 29-win season in 2008.  Four times during her tenure with the Blazers, St. Ben’s has advanced to the NCAA tournament and in 2008 reached the Elite Eight of the NCAA Championships. That same season, the Blazers were ranked fifth in the nation in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) poll. In addition, her teams have been ranked in the top 25 of the AVCA poll all ten years of her tenure with the Blazers. She has coached four All-Americans and ten All-Region Players. Her athletes have also done well in the classroom, boasting a 100 percent graduation rate of student-athletes completing their four years of eligibility.

Prior to becoming the head coach, Blaeser was the volleyball assistant coach at St. Ben’s for three seasons. From 1993 to 1996, Blaeser was an assistant coach at her alma mater, Minnesota State University, Mankato. She has coached the Mankato Junior Olympic team, and was an assistant coach for both the men’s and women’s volleyball teams at the University of Minnesota. In 1990 she was the Apollo High School head coach and in 1989 was the assistant volleyball coach at Mankato East High School.

Since 1993, Blaeser has been the owner of Play Hard Sports Camp, Inc., and conducted volleyball camps in the five state area. From 1996 to 2006, she owned and operated the Trailblazers of Central Minnesota, a Junior Olympic volleyball program. She has served as a clinician for High School Coaches Associations.

Blaeser was a four-year starter at Minnesota State from 1985 to 1989. She earned a bachelor’s degree from MSU in 1990 and a master’s in sport management/sport psychology from the University of Minnesota in 1993.

Blaeser resides in Freeport, Minn., with her husband Brian, son Cole and daughter Callie.

Watch Blaeser's Video Interview about 2011 Off-Season Training!!

Watch Blaeser's Video Interview about First Week of Practice in 2010!!

Located on the banks of the Mississippi River, 70 miles northwest of Minneapolis, St. Cloud State University is a nationally accredited, comprehensive university, and offers an affordable education. St. Cloud State University athletics compete at the NCAA Division II level in all sports with the exception of men’s and women’s ice hockey. Volleyball competes in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC).

 

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