THIS WEEK
• The No. 11 SMSU volleyball team opens the 2024 regular season on the road this Friday and Saturday with four matches at the SpringHill Suites Invitational in Pensacola, Fla.
• SMSU opens play with a pair of matches on Friday, Sept. 6, against Spring Hill (Ala.) at 2 p.m., and tournament host West Florida at 7 p.m.
• The Mustangs round out the weekend with two more matches on Saturday, Sept. 7, playing Oklahoma Baptist at 11:30 a.m., and Wheeling (W. Va.) at 4:30 p.m.
• All games are listed in central time.

MATCH COVERAGE
• Live stats and video for all matches will be available at SMSUmustangs.com
• More information on the tournament can be found at goargos.com
• Stay up to date on the Mustangs throughout the weekend by downloading the official SMSU Athletics app.

SERIES HISTORY
• SMSU will play Spring Hill for just the second time in program history, with the Badgers holding the 1-0 advantage after defeating the Mustangs in four sets a season ago.
• West Florida and SMSU will meet for the ninth time, with the Mustangs holding a 6-2 advantage.
• The first meeting was in 2011 and the last meeting came in 2023 with SMSU sweeping the then-No. 12 ranked Argonauts
• The Mustangs will play the Bison for the second time, holding a 1-0 series lead after sweeping OBU last season.
• SMSU and Wheeling (W. Va.) will meet for the fifth time, with the Mustangs holding a 3-1 series advantage.

LAST SEASON
• The Mustangs started the season on a hot streak, winning nine of their first 10 matches.
• SMSU received the No. 3 seed in the NSIC Tournament, falling to Minnesota Duluth in four sets to end the regular season.
• SMSU earned the No. 3 seed in the NCAA Central Region Tournament, falling to the University of Nebraska-Kearney in the quarterfinals in four sets.

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).

SMSU VOTED FOURTH IN NSIC PRESEASON POLL
• SMSU was picked to finish fourth in the annual 15-team Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll.
• The defending NSIC regular season champions, Wayne State, was selected as the preseason favorites to win the conference earning 194 points and 12 first place votes (coaches can't vote for their own school). Concordia-St. Paul earned 178 points and a first place vote to finish in second place. In third place was St. Cloud State with 177 points and the two remaining first place votes, while SMSU ranked fourth with 150 points. Minnesota Duluth rounded out the top five earning 148 points.

SMSU AND THE NSIC IN THE POLLS
• SMSU opens the 2024 season ranked No. 11 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division II Preseason Poll released on Aug. 23
• SMSU is one of five NSIC schools ranked in the top 25 with Wayne State leading the way at No. 4, followed by Concordia-St. Paul at No. 5 and St. Cloud State at No. 10, while Minnesota Duluth comes in at No. 16.
• Following the AVCA poll released on Aug. 23, the Mustangs have now been ranked in the Top 25 for 229 of the last 230 rankings, dating back to Sept. 5, 2006.

SMSU IN THE NATIONAL RANKS  
• The Mustangs finished the 2023 season with team and individual placements amongst the NCAA statistical leader boards.
• SMSU ranked No. 21 in the nation in kills per set at 13.69 and No. 31 in win-loss percentage with .767
• The Mustangs finished No. 16 in assists per set with 12.81 and No. 18 in attacks per set with 38.26.
• McKenzie Tolk ended the year No. 58 in digs per set with 4.68 and No. 68 in total digs with 487.

NEWCOMERS
The 2024 fall will see the arrival of five true freshmen and a transfer player for Tyler Boddy's Mustangs
• Kenna Bixby*, a setter from New Berlin, Ill.
• Kennedy Drake, a libero/defensive specialist from Marshall, Minn.
• Natalie Pilney, a middle blocker from St. Michael, Minn.
• Josie Pundt, an outside hitter from Johnston, Iowa
• Paige Steinmetz, an outside hitter from Chippewa Falls, Wis.
• Delaney Vold, a libero/defensive specialist from Amery, Wis.
    * denotes transfer player 

HEAD COACH TYLER BODDY  
• Tyler Boddy is in his third season as head coach in 2024 and has a career record of 46-13 overall, including 29-9 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 294-83 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.

PREVIEWING SPRING HILL (ALA.)
2023 Record: 30-5, 19-0
Conference: SIAC West
Head Coach: Peggy Martin, 15th season
SIAC West Preseason Rank: 1
• The Badgers ended the season as SIAC Champions and the eighth seed in the NCAA DII South Regional Tournament, losing in three sets to Tampa in the first round.
• SHC is led by junior middle hitter Jaylyne Bell and senior middle blocker/outside hitter Airyonna Weaver. Bell earned All-SIAC second team and SIAC All-Tournament team honors in a sophomore campaign where she recorded 252 kills, while leading the SIAC in blocks (111) and attacking pct. (.381). Weaver earned SIAC All-Tournament team honors in a junior season that saw her lead the team in kills (299) and digs (400) while recording 48 blocks.

PREVIEWING WEST FLORIDA
2023 Record: 25-8, 15-1
Conference: GSC
Head Coach: Melissa Wolter, 19th season
AVCA Preseason Rank: 20
GSC Preseason Rank: 1
• The Argonauts won the GSC Tournament in 2023, defeating Alabama-Huntsville in three sets to capture the title, and received the No. 7 seed in the NCAA DII South Regional Tournament, falling in the first round in four sets to Lynn (Fla.)
• UWF is led by an all-league selection duo in Meg Brackhan and Jenna Zydlo. Brackhan tallied 498 digs and 4.15 per set on the back line in all 120 sets last season, bringing her career total to 1099 and 3.27 per frame and was named to the Second Team All-GSC and GSC Championship All-Tournament teams, as well as GSC Championship Most Outstanding Player and three GSC Defensive Player of the Week awards. Zydlo tallied 241 kills and 2.04 per set on a .307 hitting percentage, in addition to 52 digs and 90 total blocks, and earned Second Team All-GSC honors.

PREVIEWING OKLAHOMA BAPTIST
2023 Record: 22-9, 13-3
Conference: GAC
Head Coach: Anna Howle, 17th season
AVCA Preseason Rank: RV
GAC Preseason Rank: 1
• The Bison claimed the GAC title in 2023, defeating Henderson State (Ark.) in four sets. OBU earned the No. 8 seed in the NCAA Central Region Tournament and suffered a loss to Concordia-St. Paul in the first round in three sets.
• Heading into head coach Anna Howle's 16th season, the Bison return several key front-line players including All-American middle blocker Jill Leslie, All-GAC honoree Avery Hellmuth, and setter Emily Boyer, who saw significant playing time last year, returns for her second season.

PREVIEWING WHEELING (W. VA.)
2023 Record: 25-8, 12-2
Conference: MEC
Head Coach: Christy Benner, 22nd season
MEC Preseason Rank: 1
• The Cardinals defeated West Virginia State in four sets to win the 2023 MEC Tournament, and received the No. 2 seed in the NCAA DII Atlantic Regional Tournament, losing in five sets to Shaw (N.C.) in the semifinals.
• Leading WU will be senior Riley Kindall, who sat second on the team with 375 kills a season ago, while leading the team with 410 digs. Mady Winters also joins her on offense, after being the Cardinal's most efficient hitter at .394 in 2023, and has hit at least .300 in 20 straight matches.

ON THE HORIZON
• SMSU heads to Missouri to play four matches in the Drury (Mo.) Classic from Sept. 12-14
• The Mustangs begin NSIC play on the road at Minot State on Friday, Sept. 20, before facing off with UMary on Saturday, Sept. 21