THIS WEEK

The No. 18 ranked Southwest Minnesota State University volleyball team continue NSIC play with two home matches this weekend.

The Mustangs face off against No. 21 Minnesota Duluth on Friday, Oct. 31, at 6 p.m. for the team's annual "Red Out". SMSU plays again the following day, Saturday, Nov. 1, at 2 p.m. against Bemidji State.

Both matches will be played in the PE Gym.

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.

Catch Saturday's match live on 94.7 KKCK with play-by-play from Anthony Rohlik.

SERIES HISTORY

SMSU will play Minnesota Duluth for the 96th time, with the Bulldogs holding a 71-24 record all time against the Mustangs.

The Mustangs were defeated by the Bulldogs in four sets on Sept. 20, but are 5-3 against Minnesota Duluth in the last eight matchups.

The Mustangs will meet Bemidji State for the 103rd time, with the Mustangs leading the series 72-30 all time.

SMSU won the matchup against the Beavers on Sept. 19 in three sets, and have won the last 33 in a row against the Beavers dating back to 2003.

PREVIEWING No. 21 MINNESOTA DULUTH

2025 Record: 17-4, 10-4 NSIC

Current NSIC Ranking: 4th (as of Oct. 28)

Head Coach: Jim Boos, 23rd season

Last weekend the Bulldogs hosted Augustana, winning in three sets, before losing to Wayne State in three sets the next day.

Since defeating the Mustangs on Sept. 20, the Bulldogs have gone 8-4 in conference play.

Senior middle blocker Kylie Broten leads the Bulldogs in kills with 230, averaging 3.03 kills per set, and is one of three Bulldogs with over 150 kills on the season. She currently leads the conference in hitting percentage, hitting .418 on the season.

Preseason 'Player to Watch' Madeline Guetzkow is currently second on the team with 213 kills, averaging 3.33 kills per set and 51 total blocks, while sitting third with 160 digs.

PREVIEWING BEMIDJI STATE

2025 Record: 7-15, 4-10 NSIC

Current NSIC Ranking: 13th (as of Oct. 28)

Head Coach: Erika Bute, 1st season

Since meeting the Mustangs on the 19th of September, the Beavers have gone 4-9 in NSIC play, including the program's first win over Minnesota Duluth in the 21st century.

Last weekend the Beavers were swept by both Wayne State and Augustana.

Sophomore outside hitter Lily Riese currently leads the Beavers in kills with 292, averaging 3.56 kills per set. She is currently in the top six in the NSIC in both categories.

Preseason 'Player to Watch' Ava Athman is second on the team with 224 kills, fourth in digs with 164, and has 24 total blocks on the season.

SMSU IN "RED OUT" MATCHES

"Red Out" began when former head coach Terry Culhane, who suffered a heart attack in 2010, felt that his experience offered a unique opportunity for his volleyball program to help educate the public about this deadly disease.

The Mustangs are 11-3 all-time in "Red Out" matches and have won three of the last five.

SMSU "Red Out" matches

2024 Winona State (L, 1-3)

2023 Northern State (W, 3-0)

2022 Concordia-St. Paul (L, 2-3)

2021 Minnesota State (W, 3-0)

2019 Upper Iowa (W, 3-0)

2018 MSU Moorhead (W, 3-0)

2017 Minnesota State (W, 3-0)

2016 Bemidji State (W, 3-0)

2015 Minnesota Duluth (W, 3-2)

2014 Concordia-St. Paul (L, 2-3)

2013 Bemidji State (W, 3-0)

2012 UMary (W, 3-0)

2011 UMary (W, 3-0)

LAST WEEK

The Mustangs played last Tuesday against Sioux Falls, and traveled north for the weekend, playing both Minnesota Crookston and Minnesota State Moorhead.

In Tuesday's match against Sioux Falls, Mya Krystosek led the Mustangs in kills with 14, hitting .268 on the match, and adding eight digs. Natalie Pilney had 10 kills and two solo blocks. 

McKenzie Tolk led the team in digs with 16, while Sydney Thein had a double double worthy performance of 43 assists and 11 digs.

In a sweep against Minnesota Crookston on Friday, Paige Steinmetz paced the SMSU offense with a career-high 11 kills on 26 attacks for a .308 hitting percentage, while Ashley Peltier hit a career-high .588 with 10 kills and zero errors on 17 attacks. Leah Jones added nine kills and 13 digs, while Natalie Pilney chipped in with seven kills to help a balanced Mustang attack.

Sydney Thein dished out 37 assists and added seven digs for the Mustangs with teammate McKenzie Tolk recording a match-high 19 digs. Kennedy Drake and Ashlynn Schroeder each closed with 10 digs.

On Saturday, the Mustangs swept the Minnesota State Moorhead Dragons, with Leah Jones with 14, who also had six digs. Ashley Peltier was the other Mustang in double digit kills with 10, while hitting .261 on the match. Karli Arkell added eight kills and hit .238. Sydney Thein led the team in both assists and digs with 34 and 13 respectively. Natalie Pilney led the team in blocks with six solo blocks, the most by a Mustang this season.

SMSU IN THE AVCA POLLS

SMSU moves down one spot, from No. 17 to No. 18 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division II Week 8 Poll released on Oct. 27.

SMSU is one of seven NSIC schools represented in the recent poll, with Wayne State leading the conference and remaining at No. 6. Concordia-St. Paul moves up one to No. 9 followed by St. Cloud State at No. 11. The Mustangs are at No. 18, followed by Minnesota Duluth at No. 21. Northern State remains at No. 22, and Minnesota State falls one spot to No. 24.

Following the AVCA poll released on Oct. 27, the Mustangs have now been ranked in the Top 25 for 249 of the last 250 rankings, dating back to Sept. 5, 2006.

SMSU IN THE NATIONAL RANKS  

The Mustangs have started the 2025 season with team and individual placements amongst the NCAA statistical leader boards.

SMSU rank No. 13 in DII in kills per set (14.21), No. 21 in hitting percentage as a team (.255), and are in the top 50 in digs per set (17.45)

The Mustangs are currently No. 11 in assists per set (13.45) and are No. 12 in total assists (1076)

Leah Jones is No. 37 in kills per set with 3.78, and is currently No. 26 in total kills (299).

Sydney Thein is currently fourth in DII with 927 assists and fifth with 11.59 assists per set.

MUSTANGS LEADING THE CONFERENCE  

The Mustangs have started the 2025 season with team and individual placements amongst the NSIC statistical leader boards.

SMSU ranks first in the conference in assists with 1075, and are first in both total digs (1396) and digs per set (17.45).The Mustangs are also third in kills with 997 on the season.

Leah Jones is top three in the conference with 3.74 kills per set, and kills with 299. Mya Krystosek is also in the top 20 in both categories.

Natalie Pilney and Karli Arkell are both in the top 20 in hitting percentage, with Pilney being fifth in total blocks with 79.

Sydney Thein is currently first in the NSIC with 927 assists and second with 11.59 assists per set.

McKenzie Tolk is fourth in the NSIC in total digs (371) and fifth in digs per set (4.64).

Paige Steinmetz is in the conference top 20 in both total service aces (29) and aces per set (0.36).

HEAD COACH TYLER BODDY  

Tyler Boddy is in his fourth season as head coach in 2025 and has a career record of 84-25 overall, including 51-20 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play with two NCAA tournament appearances (2023 & 2024). 

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. 

During his tenure at SMSU, the program has appeared in nine NCAA tournaments, including finishing as NCAA national runners-up in 2014. SMSU has a combined record of 332-95 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.

ON THE HORIZON

The Mustangs will be back on the road next weekend, first on Friday, Nov. 7, at 6 p.m. for a matchup with No 22 ranked Northern State in Aberdeen, S.D.

Then SMSU travels to North Dakota, facing off against Jamestown on Nov. 8, at 2 p.m.

All matches are available on the NSIC Network.

More information can be found at smsumustangs.com/sports/womens-volleyball.