THIS WEEK

• The Southwest Minnesota State volleyball team secured the third seed in the NSIC Volleyball Tournament after going 14-4 in conference play this season.
• The Mustangs host the six seed, University of Minnesota Duluth, on Tuesday, Nov. 14 with first set at 6 p.m.
• The winner of the match will advance to the semi-finals and play the winner of Concordia-St. Paul / Winona State University.

MATCH COVERAGE

• Live stats and video for all matches will be available at SMSUmustangs.com
• Stay up to date on the Mustangs throughout the weekend by downloading the official SMSU Athletics app on your smartphone.
• The match will be broadcast on Marshall Radio 105.1 FM KARL.

SERIES HISTORY

• SMSU and Minn. Duluth will meet for the 93rd time, with the Bulldogs leading the overall series 23-69.
• The Mustangs bested then-No. 14 Minn. Duluth in a come-from-behind five set victory on Nov. 2, winning by scores of 22-25, 15-25, 25-21, 26-24, and 23-21.
• The Mustangs have defeated UMD in four of the last five matches, suffering their last loss to the Bulldogs on Sept. 30, 2022.
• SMSU is 13-24 all-time against the Bulldogs in Marshall.

SMSU IN THE NSIC TOURNAMENT

• After securing the third seed in the 2023 NSIC Volleyball Tournament, the Mustangs have now made the postseason for the third year in a row and 19th time overall.
• SMSU suffered a 3-0 loss in the quarterfinals of the NSIC Tournament a season ago.
• Southwest Minnesota State volleyball has won the NSIC Tournament twice before, claiming victory in 2012 and 2017.

MORE ABOUT MINNESOTA DULUTH

• The Bulldogs ended their regular season schedule last weekend with a win over the MSU Moorhead Dragons and a loss to the Northern State Wolves.
• UMD clinched a spot in the tournament following their win over the Dragons and with a subsequent loss of the University of Sioux Falls to Concordia St. Paul.
• The No. 14 University of Minnesota Duluth volleyball team came up short Saturday in a three set matchup against the Northern State University Wolves to finish out their Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) regular season schedule.
• Senior middle blocker Grace Daak led the Bulldogs in kills Saturday with 12 total. Graduate student setter Madison Gordon added another 28 assists to her career total, and senior libero Kaylyn Madison tallied on 13 digs.

FOUR MUSTANG VOLLEYBALL PLAYERS EARN ALL-NSIC HONORS; LEAH JONES NAMED NSIC FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR

• The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference announced last Thursday that Southwest Minnesota State University outside hitter Leah Jones had been named the NSIC Freshman of the Year along with earning All-NSIC first team honors, while teammates Alisa Bengen, Saari Kuehl and McKenzie Tolk have been named All-NSIC second team.
• Jones, a native of Marshall, Minn., is the seventh player in program history to earn either NSIC Newcomer or NSIC Freshman of the Year accolades and the first since Taylor Reiss in 2015.
• With two regular season matches remaining, Jones leads SMSU with 288 kills and is hitting .224 on the season. She has also recorded 224 digs, 26 service aces, 24 blocks and 28 assists. She has racked up double-digit kills in a team-high 17 matches and has recorded double-digit digs in eight matches.
• Bengen, a senior setter from Janesville, Iowa, earns All-NSIC second team honors for the second straight season. She has dished out 956 assists while ranking second on the team with 282 digs. Bengen has registered 98 kills while compiling a .319 hitting percentage and also has 35 blocks, 23 service aces and 15 double-doubles. In the latest NCAA national statistics (Nov. 6), she ranks 21st in assists per set (10.5) and 33rd in total assists. Bengen ranks sixth in team history with 3,351 assists in 106 career matches.
• Kuehl, a junior outside hitter from Reinbeck, Iowa, earns All-NSIC honors for the first time in her career. She ranks second for SMSU with 246 kills and has compiled a .254 hitting percentage. Kuehl has amassed double-figure kills in 13 matches, including a season-high 18 in home victory versus Augustana on Oct. 3.
• A sophomore defensive specialist from Minneota, Minn., Tolk leads SMSU with 433 digs and currently ranks 44th nationally in digs per set (4.8). A first time All-NSIC honoree, she has reached double-figures in digs in all but one match and has registered 20 or more digs six times.

VANHEEL EARNS NSIC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

• Southwest Minnesota State University junior middle blocker Emma VanHeel has been named the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Defensive Player of the Week following her performances in SMSU's undefeated three-match home stand in the sixth week of the regular season, including two big four-set wins over No. 6 St. Cloud State and No. 11 Minn. Duluth.
• VanHeel, a native of Otsego, Minn., dazzled over the week, recording 15 total blocks, including a season-high eight block performance against the No. 11-ranked Bulldogs. She would finish the match with nine kills and a service ace.
• She also led the way against No. 6 St. Cloud State on Friday, leading a ferocious offensive onslaught with 13 kills to go along with two blocks and three digs.
• She would end the weekend with 1.33 blocks per set while hitting .250 and recording eight digs. She is the first Mustang to win an NSIC weekly honor since Oct. 25, 2021, when Angela Young earned offensive honors.

MUSTANG MACHINES

• SMSU ranks fifth in the NSIC in opponent hitting percentage (.169). The Mustangs rank third in the NSIC in service aces per set (1.77), third in assists per set (12.82), fifth in team kills per set (13.75) and third in digs per set (16.80). SMSU leads the league in attacks per set (37.96), and ranks third in win-loss percentage (.821).
• Freshman outside hitter Leah Jones leads SMSU in hitting at 3.11 kills per set, with 299 total kills, followed by junior outside hitter Saari Kuehl with 261 kills, 2.81 per set. Junior blocker Emma VanHeel adds 201 kills, while also leading the team in total blocks with 91.
• Middle blocker Karli Arkell comes second in Mustang blockers with 79 total blocks, while adding 190 kills.
• Senior setter Alisa Bengen ranks sixth in the league with 10.41 assists per set while sophomore libero McKenzie Tolk ranks fourth in digs per set (4.74) with 455 total digs.

LAST TIME OUT

• The No. 6 Southwest Minnesota State volleyball team suffered its second 3-0 loss of the season to No. 4 Concordia-St. Paul this evening, losing by scores of 25-18, 25-17, and 25-14.
• As a result, the Mustangs finish the regular season with records of 14-4 in the NSIC (3rd), and 23-5 overall. The Golden Bears increase to 25-2 overall, and finish the regular season second in the NSIC at 16-2.
• Emma VanHeel led the Mustang attacking crew this evening with five kills. She posted a .400 hitting percentage in the match, tallying just one error on 10 attempts. Saari Kuehl grabbed five of her own kills. Brooklyn Kusler rounded out the top SMSU attackers with four kills. Kusler dished one assist on offense and notched one block assist.
• Alisa Bengen dished out 17 assists for the Mustangs, while McKenzie Tolk and Emily Strasser recorded nine and four digs, respectively.
• Karli Arkell was the top blocker for the Mustangs on Saturday, grabbing a solo block and block assist.

SMSU IN THE NATIONAL RANKS 

• The Mustangs currently hold numerous team and individual placements amongst the NCAA statistical leaderboards.
• SMSU currently ranks No. 21 in the nation in kills per set with 13.75 and No. 23 in win-loss percentage with .821
• Additionally, the Mustangs rank in the Top 25 in other statistical categories.
• SMSU is No. 16 in assists per set with 12.82 and No. 23 in attacks per set with 37.96.
• Alisa Bengen currently ranks No. 26 in the nation in assists per set, with 10.41, while coming in at No. 44 in total assists with 999.
• McKenzie Tolk ranks No. 65 in digs per set with 4.74.

SMSU AND THE NSIC IN THE POLLS 

• The Southwest Minnesota State University volleyball team, after going 1-1 last week at home, has cracked the top five in the 11th regular season American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA)/ TARAFLEX Top 25 Division II poll.
• SMSU is one of five NSIC schools ranked in this week's Top 25 with Wayne State remaining at the No. 1 spot, followed by Concordia-St. Paul at No. 4, St. Cloud State at No. 8, and Minnesota Duluth at No. 16.
• Following the AVCA poll released on Nov. 13, the Mustangs have now been ranked in the Top 25 for 226 of the last 227 rankings, dating back to Sept. 5, 2006.

SMSU AND THE NSIC IN THE REGIONAL RANKINGS 

• The Southwest Minnesota State University volleyball team is ranked No. 3 in the second NCAA Division II Central Region rankings released on Nov. 8 by the NCAA national committee.
• SMSU is one of seven NSIC schools to appear in the region rankings along with Wayne State (No. 1), Concordia-St. Paul (No. 2), Minnesota Duluth (No. 7), St. Cloud State (No. 8), Winona State (No. 9) and Northern State (No. 10).

HEAD COACH TYLER BODDY 

• Tyler Boddy is in his second season as head coach after being named to the position on Dec. 17, 2021, with a career record of 46-11 overall and 32-9 in the NSIC.
• Boddy joined the SMSU coaching staff in 2012 and since that time the program has appeared in seven NCAA tournaments, including finishing as NCAA national runners-up in 2014. SMSU has a combined record of 274-77 during his tenure which includes two Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference regular season titles and two NSIC tournament championships.
• For his efforts during his coaching career, Boddy was named a recipient of the Thirty Under 30 Award from the American Volleyball Coaches Association in April of 2019. He was promoted to associate head coach in the summer of 2021.
• Boddy, a native of New Ulm, Minn., came to SMSU after spending two seasons (2010-11) as an assistant coach at Wisconsin-Oshkosh and one season (2009) at Ripon College. Boddy has also had a successful coaching career in club volleyball with his Southwest Minnesota Volleyball Club teams winning national championships in 2014 and 2018.
• Boddy, a 2012 graduate of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, lives in Marshall with his wife, Alex, sons, Bronx and Wilke, and daughter, Rowan.

HISTORY BOOKS

• Following a career-high 1,154 assist season in 2022, SMSU senior setter, Alisa Bengen currently ranks 6th all-time in assists in program history with 3,351 and seventh in assists per set with 9.18.
• Bengen has started all 96 sets for the Mustangs this season, racking up 999 assists her in effort, and set a season-high 52 assists for SMSU on Sept. 23, in the loss to No. 1 Wayne State.
• Additionally, Bengen has 105 kills on 273 attempts for a .319 hitting percentage, while coming in second in digs for the squad with 282. The senior setter has made her defensive presence known at the net, tallying 35 total blocks for the Mustangs front line.

ON THE HORIZON

• SMSU is regionally ranked at No. 3 in the NCAA Central Region. The NCAA Division II Volleyball Selection Show is scheduled for Monday Nov. 20, at 6:30 p.m.