THIS WEEK
• For the 18th time in program history, and second consecutive season, 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. 7 seed in the eight-team Central Region Tournament.
• The tournament will take place in St. Cloud, Minn., and will be hosted by St. Cloud State and played at SCSU's Halenbeck Hall starting on Thursday, Dec. 5.
• SMSU will face the University of Central Oklahoma in the second match of the tournament, with first serve set for 1:30 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 Marshall Radio 105.1 FM KARL with Anthony Rohlik on the call.

SERIES HISTORY
• Thursday will be just the second meeting between the two teams.
• The lone meeting happened on Sept. 4, 2002, with the Bronchos earning a 3-0 sweep over SMSU at a tournament in Pensacola, Fla.
• The winner of the match will advance to the region semifinals and play the winner of Nebraska Kearney / Washburn.

SMSU IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
• SMSU is 17-17 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 ended in a loss in the quarterfinals. The Mustangs lost a four-set battle last season to Nebraska Kearney in St. Paul, Minn.
• SMSU enters the NCAA Tournament having seven meetings with nationally ranked teams this season compiling a 4-3 record.
• The Mustangs have fared better against regional opponents, posting a 6-3 record against regionally-ranked squads.

MORE ON CENTRAL OKLAHOMA
• UCO bolted out of the gate in record-setting fashion with a best-ever 18-0 start. The first nine of those wins came in neutral-site or true road matches, including victories over four national tournament qualifiers.
• UCO went 3-0 to claim its first-ever MIAA Tournament title, sweeping Emporia State in the first round before edging MWSU in five sets in the semifinals and taking down UNK in four in the finals.
• The Bronchos are in the top 10 nationally in four categories; fourth in total kills (1,635), fifth in kills per set (14.73), fifth in total assists (1,511) and eighth in assists per set (13.61).
• UCO has hit .300 or better in 15 matches, including a school-record .446 (49 kills, four errors, 101 attacks) in a neutral-site sweep of Fort Lewis early in the season.
• Senior Addison Wimmer leads the way with 355 kills (3.51/set). Senior Jenna Karp has 305 (3.08), junior Sydney Huck 298 (3.07), senior Mikaela Garvin 258 (2.77) and junior Lari Migliorino 168 (1.91).• Keri Walker is the anchor for the offense, putting up a team-high 1,035 assists while holding it down defensively with 287 digs, good enough for second on the team. Walker adds 29 service aces and 56 kills on .285 hitting.
• Setter Lindsey Houran directs the high-powered offensive attack. The junior ranks eighth nationally in total assists (1,232) and 10th in assists per set (11.41).
• The Bronchos rank 10th in Division II in digs per set (18.95) and 12th in total digs (2,103). UCO is  31st nationally in team total blocks with 253.0 (77 solo, 352 assisted).
• Five players have 250-plus digs, paced by senior Katie Le with 565. Seven players have at least 25 total blocks, with Karp's 77 (15 solo, 62 assisted) leading the way.

LAST TIME OUT
• No. 4-seeded SMSU was limited to .179 hitting in a 19-25, 25-20, 18-25, 20-25 loss to the No. 5-seeded Northern State Wolves in the NSIC Tournament quarterfinals on Nov. 19.
• A trio of Mustang attackers swung for double-digit kills in the match. Emma VanHeel led the way with 18 kills on an efficient .368 hitting percentage and jumped up for four blocks. Ashley Peltier followed with 15 kills on .297 hitting and Leah Jones chipped in 10 kills. Jones added 13 digs for a double-double and jumped for three block assists. VanHeel became the 17th player in team history to reach 1,000 career kills and has now amassed 1,011 in her four-year career.  
• Sydney Thein supported the offense with 48 assists. She also recorded a double-double with 16 digs on defense.
• McKenzie Tolk led the SMSU defense with 24 digs while supporting offensively with a pair of assists and an ace.

SIX MUSTANGS EARN ALL-NSIC VOLLEYBALL HONORS
• The NSIC office announced on Nov. 13 that Southwest Minnesota State University setter Sydney Thein has been named to the All-NSIC first team, while teammates Leah Jones, Saari Kuehl, Ashley Peltier, McKenzie Tolk, and Emma VanHeel have been named All-NSIC second team.
• Thein, a redshirt freshman setter from Clara City, Minn., earns All-NSIC first team honors for the first time in her career. She has dished out 1,080 assists while ranking third on the team with 301 digs. Thein has registered 71 kills while compiling a .321 hitting percentage and has 18 blocks, 25 service aces and 17 double-doubles. In the latest NCAA national statistics (Nov. 11), she ranks No. 6 in both assists per set (11.61) and total assists. Thein recorded a career-high 73 assists in the win over then-No. 7 Wayne State on Oct. 24. The 73 assists are tied for the second-most in a single match in program history.
• Jones, a sophomore outside hitter from Marshall, Minn., earns All-NSIC honors for the second consecutive season. Jones earned AVCA Central Region Freshman of the Year along with NSIC Freshman of the Year and All-NSIC first team honors a season ago. Jones ranks second with 276 kills. She has also recorded 302 digs, 42 blocks, 30 service aces, and 30 assists. She has racked up double-digit kills in 14 matches and double-digit digs in 16 matches. Jones swung for a career-high 19 kills in the home win over then-No. 22 Northern State on Sept. 27. She also bumped a career-high 27 digs in the road win versus then-No. 7 Wayne State on Oct. 24.
• Kuehl, a senior outside hitter from Reinbeck, Iowa, earns All-NSIC honors for the second time in her career. With two regular season matches remaining, Kuehl leads SMSU with 304 kills and has compiled a .226 hitting percentage. Kuehl has amassed double-figure kills in 19 matches, including a season-high 18 twice. She has also recorded 68 digs and 36 blocks.
• Peltier, a sophomore right side and middle blocker from Taylors Falls, Minn., earns All-NSIC honors for the first time. She ranks fourth on the team with 234 kills while logging a .288 hitting percentage. Peltier recorded a career-high 18 kills in the win over then-No. 7 Wayne State on Oct. 24 and has reached double-digit kills in 10 matches. She has also recorded 72 blocks and 37 digs. 
• A junior defensive specialist from Minneota, Minn., Tolk leads SMSU with 495 digs and currently ranks 21st nationally in digs per set (5.32). A second time All-NSIC honoree, she has reached double-figures in digs in every match and has registered 20 or more digs nine times. Tolk has also recorded 87 assists and 24 service aces.
• A senior middle blocker from Otsego, Minn., VanHeel earns All-NSIC honors for the second time in her career. VanHeel ranks third for SMSU with 258 kills on an efficient .317 hitting percentage and leads the team with 101 blocks. She has also recorded 73 digs, 19 service aces, and 16 assists. She has racked up double-digit kills in 12 matches and five or more blocks in 11 matches. VanHeel swung for a season-high 18 kills in the in the road win versus then-No. 7 Wayne State on Oct. 24. She currently ranks seventh all-time in program history with 400 total blocks.

THEIN EARNS THIRD NSIC SETTER OF THE WEEK ACCOLADE
• SMSU redshirt freshman setter Sydney Thein was named the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Setter of the Week on Monday, Oct. 28, following her performance in SMSU's 1-0 week. It is the third time the SMSU setter has earned the accolade this season.
• Thein, a native of Clara City, Minn., shined over the week, ranking first in the league in assists per set (14.60), while leading the Mustangs to season-high 79 kills on a .235 team hitting percentage.
• Thein logged 73 assists in the 3-2 reverse sweep and upset win over No. 7 Wayne State on Thursday (Oct. 24) - tying the second-most assists in a single match in team history.
• She would add a kill and 15 digs on defense for her 13th double-double of the season.

JONES, TOLK EARN NSIC VOLLEYBALL WEEKLY HONORS
• The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference office announced on Sept. 30 that Leah Jones earned weekly player honors following a 3-0 week at home, including a pair of five-set victories. 
• Jones, a native of Marshall, Minn., earns NSIC Offensive Player of the Week for the first time in her career. The sophomore outside hitter was the cornerstone of the SMSU offense last week, posting a team-high 4.00 kills per set (52 total) on a .244 hitting percentage, while assisting the offense with four assists and three service aces.
• Jones batted down a match-high 18 kills while adding 17 digs and a pair of blocks for a double-double in the 3-2 non-conference win over Augustana. In the five-set win over No. 22 Northern State, Jones swung for a career-high 19 kills on .250 hitting while again adding 18 digs for another double-double.
• She would end the weekend with a match-high 15 kills on a season-best .379 hitting percentage in the sweep over MSU Moorhead. Jones is a 2023 graduate of Marshall High School.
• McKenzie Tolk was named NSIC Defensive Player of the Week for the first time in her career. The junior libero stood out defensively over the week, leading the SMSU defense with 5.10 digs per set and supported the offense with four service aces and 11 assists. 
• Tolk recorded a team-high 26 digs in the 3-2 win over MSU Moorhead on Nov. 15, then logged a team-best 25 digs in the pivotal 3-2 win over No. 18 Northern State on Nov. 16.
• Tolk is a native of Minneota, Minn., and is 2022 graduate of Minneota High School.

MUSTANG MACHINES
• SMSU ranks first in the NSIC in digs per set (19.25), second in assists per set (13.77) and kills per set (14.51), third in points per set (18.21), and sixth in team hitting pct. (.236).
• Senior outside hitter Saari Kuehl leads SMSU in hitting with 322 kills (3.01 per set), followed by sophomore outside hitter Leah Jones with 309 kills (2.89 per set). Senior middle blocker Emma VanHeel comes in third with 307 kills while sophomore right side hitter Ashley Peltier adds 280 kills. 
• VanHeel also leads the Mustang blockers with 113 blocks.
• Redshirt freshman setter Sydney Thein anchors the offense with 1,240 assists (11.59 per set) while supporting the attack with 79 kills on .301 hitting. Thein adds 350 digs and 28 service aces.
• Junior libero McKenzie Tolk leads the defense with 570 digs (5.33 per set) while supporting the offense with 100 assists.

SMSU AND THE NSIC IN THE POLLS
• SMSU fell to No. 15 in the most recent American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division II poll released on Nov. 25.
• SMSU is one of five NSIC schools ranked in the top 25 with St. Cloud State coming in at No. 2, followed by Concordia-St. Paul at No. 9 and Wayne State at No. 16, while Northern State ranks No. 17. Minnesota Duluth is receiving votes.
• Following the AVCA poll released on Nov. 25, the Mustangs have now been ranked in the Top 25 for 241 of the last 242 rankings, dating back to Sept. 5, 2006.

SMSU IN THE NATIONAL RANKS  
• The Mustangs currently hold multiple team and individual placements amongst the weekly NCAA statistical leaderboards.
• SMSU ranks fourth in the nation in assists per set (13.77) and digs per set (19.25), while ranking eighth in Division II in kills per set (14.51).
• The Mustangs sit at No. 14 in total assists (1,473) and in total kills (1,553), and No. 13 in total digs (2,060).
• Sydney Thein comes in at No. 8 in assists per set (11.59) and No. 6 in total assists (1,240), while McKenzie Tolk ranks No. 23 in digs per set (5.30) and No. 20 in total digs (546).

HEAD COACH TYLER BODDY  
• Tyler Boddy is in his third season as head coach in 2024 and has a career record of 69-18 overall, including 43-13 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play.
• Boddy, who spent 10 years as an assistant coach at SMSU, became the fifth head coach in the program's 50-year history on Dec. 17, 2021. 
• In that time, the program has appeared in nine NCAA tournaments, including finishing as NCAA national runners-up in 2014. SMSU has a combined record of 294-82 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.