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VB vs UMD
Greg Devereaux

Volleyball

No. 3 seed Mustangs face No. 6 Nebraska-Kearney in first round of the NCAA Central Region Tournament

THIS WEEK
  • For the 17th time in program history, and first since 2018, the Southwest Minnesota State Volleyball team has secured a seed in the NCAA Tournament.
  • The NCAA national committee announced the 64-team field last Monday night with SMSU earning the No. 3 seed in the eight-team Central Region Tournament.
  • The tournament will take place in St. Paul, Minn., and will be hosted by Concordia-St. Paul and played at CSP's Gangelhoff Center starting on Thursday, Nov. 30.
  • SMSU will face the University of Nebraska-Kearney in the first match of the tournament, with first serve set for 12 p.m.
MATCH COVERAGE
  • Live stats and video for all matches will be available at SMSUmustangs.com
  • More information on the tournament can be found on NCAA.com
  • Stay up to date on the Mustangs throughout the weekend by downloading the official SMSU Athletics app.
  • The match will be broadcast on 107.5 FM The Fan with Anthony Rohlik on the call.
SERIES HISTORY
  • SMSU and UNK will meet for the ninth time, with the Lopers leading the overall series 2-6.
  • The latest meeting between the teams happened on Nov. 20, 2014 in the quarterfinal of the NCAA Central Region Tournament. The Mustangs outlasted the Lopers in a tight five-set battle.
  • UNK declared victory in the first meeting in 1989 by a score of 2-0.
  • The winner of the match will advance to the region semifinals and play the winner of Wayne State (NE) / Minnesota Duluth.
LAST TIME OUT
  • The then-No. 5-ranked Southwest Minnesota State volleyball team (23-6) fell to the then-No. 16-ranked Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs 25-14, 25-15, 21-25, and 25-21 on Nov. 14 in the quarterfinals of the NSIC Tournament inside the SMSU PE Gym.
  • Leah Jones racked up 15 kills in the loss, hitting .273 and picking up a block. Saari Kuehl added 10 kills, while Brooklyn Kusler tallied seven kills. Alisa Bengen finished the night with 34 assists, 11 digs, and six kills. Karli Arkell led the defense with four blocks, while Emma VanHeel pitched in three blocks. McKenzie Tolk patrolled the back-line, finishing with a team-best 13 digs.
  • The Mustangs finished the match with eight blocks against the 10 of UMD, but the Bulldogs took advantage of seven aces and eight Mustang service errors to come away with the victory.  
  • The first two sets were completely dominated by the Bulldogs' play. Although SMSU scored five of the first seven points, UMD did not back down, scoring seven of the next 12 points to even the score at 9-9. Both squads battled to 14-14, but the Bulldogs eventually pulled away by scoring 11 of the final 14 points backed by Cianna Selbitschka and Grace Daak.
  • The Mustangs tried to keep with the Bulldogs early into set two, battling to a tie score of 4-4. UMD would pull away with confidence scoring eight of the next 12 points to set themselves in a good place for the remainder of the set. 
  • The Bulldogs would use SMSU attacking errors and kills by Daak and Samantha Paulsen to seal the second set victory by a score of 25-15. The Bulldogs scored the first four points of the fourth set, leading wire-to-wire en route to the four-set victory.
FOUR MUSTANG VOLLEYBALL PLAYERS EARN ALL-NSIC HONORS; LEAH JONES NAMED NSIC FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
  • The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference announced at the end of the regular season 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.
  • Jones leads SMSU with 314 kills and is hitting .219 on the season. She has also recorded 241 digs, 31 service aces, 27 blocks and 33 assists. She has racked up double-digit kills in a team-high 18 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 1,033 assists while ranking second on the team with 308 digs. Bengen has registered 111 kills while compiling a .320 hitting percentage and also has 41 blocks, 26 service aces and 16 double-doubles. In the latest NCAA national statistics (Nov. 13), she ranks 31st in assists per set (10.33) and 49th in total assists. Bengen ranks sixth in team history with 3,428 assists in 109 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 271 kills and has compiled a .242 hitting percentage. Kuehl has amassed double-figure kills in 15 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 468 digs and currently ranks 58th nationally in digs per set (4.68). A first time All-NSIC honoree, she has reached double-figures in digs in all but two matches 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.
SMSU IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
  • SMSU is 17-16 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, which includes one region championship and NCAA national runner-up finish in 2014. The Mustangs have advanced to the region championship match three times (2011), (2014) and (2016) in program history.
  • The Mustangs first appearance in the NCAA Regionals took place in Fargo, N.D., in 2001. SMSU suffered a 3-0 loss to Augustana. 
  • SMSU's most recent NCAA Tournament appearance also ended in a loss in the quarterfinals. The Mustangs lost a five-set battle in 2018 to conference foe Concordia-St. Paul in Kearney, Neb.
  •  SMSU enters the NCAA Tournament having nine meetings with nationally ranked teams this season compiling an 4-5 record.
  • The Mustangs have fared better against regional opponents, posting a 9-6 record against regionally-ranked squads.

MUSTANG MACHINES
  • SMSU ranks fifth in the NSIC in opponent hitting percentage (.173). The Mustangs rank third in the NSIC in service aces per set (1.74), fourth in assists per set (12.75), fourth in team kills per set (13.65) and third in digs per set (16.64). SMSU leads the league in attacks per set (37.92), and ranks third in win-loss percentage (.793).
  • Freshman outside hitter Leah Jones leads SMSU in hitting at 3.14 kills per set, with 314 total kills, followed by junior outside hitter Saari Kuehl with 271 kills, 2.79 per set. Junior blocker Emma VanHeel adds 204 kills, while also leading the team in total blocks with 94.
  • Middle blocker Karli Arkell comes second in Mustang blockers with 83 total blocks, while adding 194 kills.
  • Senior setter Alisa Bengen ranks seventh in the league with 10.33 assists per set while sophomore libero McKenzie Tolk ranks fourth in digs per set (4.68) with 468 total digs.
SMSU IN THE NATIONAL RANKS  
  • The Mustangs currently hold numerous team and individual placements amongst the NCAA statistical leaderboards.
  • SMSU currently ranks No. 24 in the nation in kills per set with 13.65 and No. 28 in win-loss percentage with .793
  • Additionally, the Mustangs rank in the Top 30 in other statistical categories.
  • SMSU is No. 17 in assists per set with 12.75 and No. 29 in attacks per set with 37.92.
  • Alisa Bengen currently ranks No. 31 in the nation in assists per set with 10.33, while coming in at No. 49 in total assists with 1,033.
  • McKenzie Tolk ranks No. 58 in digs per set with 4.68.
MORE ABOUT NEBRASKA-KEARNEY
  • Sophomore middle Rachel Ziesman had 15 kills, three blocks and hit .517 and redshirt senior setter Oliva Olson had another big effort to help No. 18 Central Missouri sweep No. 12 Nebraska Kearney (25-16, 27-25, 25-11) for the 2023 MIAA Tournament title on Nov. 18 in St. Joseph, Mo.
  • Ziesman reached her kill total in 29 attempts with no errors (.517 pct.) with four others between seven and 11 kills. That group included Engel (.500 pct.) and Siron (.316 pct.) with UCM out hitting UNK by nearly 200 points, .351-.164.
  • Regier again paced the Lopers as she had a team-high 13 kills and hit .324. Fellow outside Emersen Cyza came out late but had nine kills in 38 swings with right side Jaden Ferguson at 12 digs, eight kills and a 23 of 25 serve receive effort. Finally, setter Peyton Neff provided 36 assists and eight digs.
  • The Lopers had three players make the MIAA All-Tournament Team in Asha Regier, Peyton Neff, and Jaden Ferguson.
SMSU AND THE NSIC IN THE POLLS  
  • The Southwest Minnesota State University volleyball team, after losing to Minnesota Duluth in the quarterfinals of the NSIC Tournament at home, has dropped back down to seventh in the 12th 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 Concordia-St. Paul at the No. 2 spot, followed by Wayne State at No. 3, St. Cloud State at No. 6, and Minnesota Duluth at No. 15.
  • Following the AVCA poll released on Nov. 20, the Mustangs have now been ranked in the Top 25 for 227 of the last 228 rankings, dating back to Sept. 5, 2006.

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 46-12 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 3,428 and eighth in assists per set with 9.14.
  • Bengen has started all 100 sets for the Mustangs this season, racking up 1,033 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 111 kills on 284 attempts for a .320 hitting percentage, while coming in second in digs for the squad with 308. The senior setter has made her defensive presence known at the net, tallying 41 total blocks for the Mustangs front line.
NCAA CENTRAL REGION TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Thursday, Nov. 30
  • No. 3 Southwest Minnesota State vs. No. 6 Nebraska Kearney, 12 p.m.
  • No. 2 Wayne State vs. No. 7 Minnesota Duluth, 2:30 p.m.
  • No. 4 Central Missouri vs. No. 5 St. Cloud State, 5 p.m.
  • No. 1 Concordia-St. Paul vs. No. 8 Oklahoma Baptist, 7:30 p.m. 
Friday, Dec. 1
  • Semifinal matches
Saturday, Dec. 2
  • Championship Match
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Players Mentioned

Karli Arkell

#21 Karli Arkell

MB/RS
6' 3"
Sophomore
Saari Kuehl

#5 Saari Kuehl

OH
6' 0"
Junior
Brooklyn Kusler

#12 Brooklyn Kusler

OH
6' 0"
Junior
McKenzie Tolk

#11 McKenzie Tolk

L/DS
5' 5"
Sophomore
Emma VanHeel

#8 Emma VanHeel

MB
6' 0"
Junior
Alisa Bengen

#6 Alisa Bengen

S
5' 9"
Senior
Leah Jones

#10 Leah Jones

OH
6' 2"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Karli Arkell

#21 Karli Arkell

6' 3"
Sophomore
MB/RS
Saari Kuehl

#5 Saari Kuehl

6' 0"
Junior
OH
Brooklyn Kusler

#12 Brooklyn Kusler

6' 0"
Junior
OH
McKenzie Tolk

#11 McKenzie Tolk

5' 5"
Sophomore
L/DS
Emma VanHeel

#8 Emma VanHeel

6' 0"
Junior
MB
Alisa Bengen

#6 Alisa Bengen

5' 9"
Senior
S
Leah Jones

#10 Leah Jones

6' 2"
Freshman
OH