THIS WEEKEND
• The No. 4 SMSU volleyball team returns to conference action at home this weekend with a pair of matches against No. 22 Northern State (9-1, 1-1 NSIC) and MSU Moorhead (5-4, 0-1 NSIC).
• The Mustangs match up against the Wolves on Friday, Sept. 27, with first serve slated for 6 p.m.
• SMSU faces off with the Dragons on Saturday, Sept. 28, with match time set for 2 p.m.

MATCH COVERAGE
• Live stats and video for all matches will be available at SMSUmustangs.com
• The match against MSU Moorhead will be broadcast on 107.5 THE FAN on Marshall Radio with Anthony Rohlik on the call.
• Stay up to date on the Mustangs throughout the weekend by downloading the official SMSU Athletics app.

SERIES HISTORY
• This Friday will be the 75th meeting between SMSU and NSU, with the Mustangs leading the series 63-11.
• The first meeting happened in 1978, and the most recent meeting happened in October of 2023 with the Mustangs  capturing a sweep.
• SMSU is 28-2 all-time against NSU in Marshall.
• SMSU and MSUM will meet for the 135th time, with the Mustangs leading the series 68-46.
• The Mustangs defeated the Dragons a season ago with a sweep by scores of 25-5, 25-19, and 25-15.
• SMSU is 27-17 all-time at home against MSUM.

MORE ON NORTHERN STATE
• NSU is 9-1 on the season and last played on Sept. 21 suffering a 3-0 home loss to No. 8 Wayne State. The Wolves are 2-0 on the road this season.
• The reigning NSIC Offensive Player of the Week, Natalia Szybinska, leads the Wolves in scoring at 3.69 kills per set with a team-high 129 kills.
• Morissen Samuels follows behind with 99 kills while coming in third with 27 blocks.
• Abby Meister leads the team on the back line with 196 digs while supporting the offense with 14 assists and seven aces.
• Abby Brooks leads the Wolves' blocking crew with 44 blocks while rounding out the teams top attackers with 75 kills.
• NSU is averaging 13.5 kills per set on 12.7 percent hitting while opponents average 11.7 kills on 16.0 percent hitting.

MORE ON MSU MOORHEAD
• MSUM last played on Sept. 20 suffering a four-set loss to Wayne State. The Dragons are 0-1 on the road this season. 
• Brielle Riess leads the Dragons offense in kills (97) and service aces (18).
• Emily Ramsay follows with 80 kills while ranking second on the squad with nine service aces.
• Annalise Wilson leads MSUM with 185 assists and ranks third with 79 digs.
• Kiara Olesch holds down the back line with 145 digs.
• MSUM is averaging 12.2 kills per set on 20.6 percent hitting while opponents average 12.6 kills per set on 18.6 percent hitting.

LAST TIME OUT
• SMSU displayed its true resilience Tuesday evening, fending off an offensive surge by Augustana to win in five sets in non-conference volleyball at the SMSU PE Gym.
• Leah Jones led the Mustang attacking crew this evening, posting a match-high and tying her career-high with 18 kills in the win. Saari Kuehl followed with 15 kills and three block assists in support, while Karli Arkell and Ashley Peltier each tallied 12 kills in their efforts. 
• Sydney Thein did what she does best tonight, posting a career-high 56 assists in the setter role, while tallying three kills, 20 digs, and a pair of blocks.
• McKenzie Tolk anchored SMSU defensively, bumping 23 digs and grabbing two service aces on the back line. Tolk also dished five assists in the win.
• SMSU out-hit AU .183-.164 and recorded 67 kills in comparison to the Vikings' 62. 

THEIN EARNS NSIC SETTER OF THE WEEK HONORS
• SMSU redshirt freshman setter Sydney Thein was named the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Setter of the Week on Monday, Sept. 23, following her performances in SMSU's 2-0 weekend in North Dakota.
• Thein, a native of Clara City, Minn., shined over the week, ranking first in the league in assists per set (12.17), while leading the Mustangs to an NSIC-best .313 team hitting percentage.
• Thein recorded 36 assists in the sweep over Minot State on Sept. 20, then logged 37 assists in the 3-0 win over UMary on Sept. 21.
• She would end the weekend with 12.17 assists per set while hitting .250 and recording 17 digs. She is the first Mustang to win an NSIC weekly honor since Oct. 9, 2023, when Emma VanHeel earned defensive honors, and is the first SMSU setter to earn the honor since Emma Thomssen won the weekly accolade in 2018.
• Thein is a 2023 graduate of MACCRAY High School.

MUSTANG MACHINES
• SMSU ranks first in NSIC play in assists per set (15.17), kills per set (16.17), team hitting pct. (.313), and digs per set (22.83). The Mustangs are tied for first in the league in opponent hitting pct. (.077), while coming in fourth in service aces (1.50).
• Senior outside hitter Saari Kuehl leads SMSU in hitting at 3.61 kills per set with 137 total kills, followed by sophomore outside hitter Leah Jones with 110 kills (2.89 per set). Senior middle blocker Emma VanHeel adds 101 kills.
• VanHeel also leads the Mustang blockers with 39 blocks.
• Redshirt freshman setter Sydney Thein anchors the offense with 443 assists (11.66 per set) while supporting the attack with 35 kills on .353 hitting. Thein adds 125 digs and 10 service aces.
• Junior libero McKenzie Tolk leads the defense with 220 digs (5.79 per set) while supporting the offense with 37 assists.

A TOUCH OF TOLK
• SMSU libero McKenzie Tolk is just 31 digs away from reaching 1,000 career digs.
• Tolk had a top-ten season defensively in 2023 with 4.68 digs per set, and currently sits in sixth all-time in program history with 3.86 digs per set.

SMSU AND THE NSIC IN THE POLLS
• SMSU moved up to No. 4 in the most recent American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division II poll released on Sept. 16. It is the second consecutive week that the Mustangs have held the highest rank in the NSIC.
• SMSU is one of six NSIC schools ranked in the top 25 with Wayne State coming in at No. 8, followed by Concordia-St. Paul at No. 9 and St. Cloud State at No. 12, while Minnesota Duluth ranks No. 15. Northern State clocks in at No. 22. Minnesota State is currently receiving votes.
• Following the AVCA poll released on Sept. 23, the Mustangs have now been ranked in the Top 25 for 232 of the last 233 rankings, dating back to Sept. 5, 2006.

SMSU IN THE NATIONAL RANKS  
• The Mustangs currently hold multiple team and individual placements amongst the NCAA statistical leader boards.
• SMSU ranks first in the nation in digs per set (20.42), third in the nation in assists per set (14.16), and fourth in kills per set (14.95).
• The Mustangs sit at No. 16 in opponent hitting pct. (.121), No. 25 in total assists (538), and No. 32 in total kills (568)
• Sydney Thein comes in at No. 6 in assists per set (11.66) and No. 19 in total assists (443), while McKenzie Tolk ranks ninth in digs per set (5.79) and No. 22 in total digs (220).

HEAD COACH TYLER BODDY  
• Tyler Boddy is in his third season as head coach in 2024 and has a career record of 57-13 overall, including 31-9 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 eight NCAA tournaments, including finishing as NCAA national runners-up in 2014. SMSU has a combined record of 305-83 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.

2024 OUTLOOK
• SMSU returns eight letter winners from its 2023 team that finished with a 23-7 overall record and made the NCAA Tournament for the 17th time in program history. The 2024 team features two seniors, three juniors, four sophomores, a redshirt freshman, and five true freshmen.
• SMSU senior outside hitter, Saari Kuehl, was named an NSIC 'Player to Watch'. Kuehl earned All-NSIC second team in 2023 after a season where she finished with 283 kills, averaging 3.02 points per set, including a season-high 18 kills in a match against Augustana (10/3).
• Senior middle blocker Emma VanHeel looks to build off a strong junior season that saw her earn a Defensive Player of the Week accolade. VanHeel finished first on the team in blocks (100), second in points (306.5) and third in kills (216).
• Returning juniors McKenzie Tolk and Karli Arkell aim to continue their strong defensive play from their sophomore campaigns, as Tolk led the team in digs (487) and Arkell finished second in blocks (85). 
• Sophomores Leah Jones, Mya Krystosek, and Ashley Peltier will look to continue to make an impact in their sophomore seasons. Jones earned NSIC Freshman of the Year, AVCA Central Region Freshman of the Year, and • All-NSIC first team honors after a season that saw Jones lead the squad in kills (327), rank second in service aces (32), and third in digs (253).

ON THE HORIZON
• SMSU is back on the road next week for matches against a pair of nationally-ranked opponents.
• The Mustangs face off with Minnesota Duluth on Friday, Oct. 4, with first serve set for 6 p.m., at the Romano Gymnasium.
• SMSU then heads to St. Cloud State on Saturday, Oct. 5, with first serve slated for 2 p.m.