THIS WEEK

The No. 14 ranked Southwest Minnesota State University volleyball team returns to Marshall this weekend for the final two home regular season matches this season.

The Mustangs face off against UMary on Friday, Nov. 14, at 6:00 p.m. for Senior Night.

SMSU will then meet Minot State on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. for Parents Day.

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 Friday's match on 105.1 KARL with play-by-play from Anthony Rohlik 

SERIES HISTORY

SMSU will play UMary for the 28th time on Friday, with the Mustangs holding a perfect 27-0 record.

The Mustangs defeated the Marauders last season 3-0 and have not lost a set to UMary since 2019.

The Mustangs will meet Minot State for the 17th time, with SMSU holding a perfect 16-0 record.

The last three meetings between the two have resulted in sweeps for the Mustangs.

PREVIEWING UMARY

2025 Record: 6-20, 3-15 NSIC

Current NSIC Ranking: 14th (as of Nov. 11)

Head Coach: Rob Frost, 1st season

Last weekend the Marauders hosted both Augustana and Wayne State, losing both in three sets.

The Marauders last victory was against Minot State on Oct. 21, winning in five sets.

Sophomore outside hitter Judith Burke currently leads UMary with 287 kills, averaging 3.15 kills per set. She is in the top 20 in the NSIC in both categories. Burke is also second in digs with 185, averaging 2.03 digs per set.

Senior setter Maddy Freed has 463 assists, and averages 6.17 assists per set. 

PREVIEWING MINOT STATE

2025 Record: 3-25, 1-17 NSIC

Current NSIC Ranking: 15th (as of Nov. 11)

Head Coach: Jon Hegerle, 17th season

Last weekend the Beavers faced Minnesota State Moorhead in a non-conference matchup, and hosted Wayne State and Augustana. The Beavers lost all three matchups in three sets.

Minot State's last victory was against Minnesota Crookston on Oct. 11, in three sets.

Junior setter/right side Katelyn Onespot-Danforth leads the Beavers in kills with 173, averaging 2.01 kills per set.

Senior libero Maya Vibeto leads the team in digs with 268, averaging 3.01 digs per set. Vibeto is in the top 20 in the NSIC in both categories.

LAST WEEK

The Mustangs played two matches last weekend, first on Friday against then No. 22 Northern State, and on Saturday against Jamestown.

In a four-set victory over the then-ranked Wolves, Leah Jones led the Mustangs with 24 kills, the second highest kills in her career, while hitting .292 with 12 digs, her fourth double double on the season. Ashley Peltier had 19 kills, her highest this season since facing Spring Hill (Ala.) in the opening match and hit .349.

McKenzie Tolk led the team in digs with 24, while Kennedy Drake had a career night, with 21 digs. Sydney Thein had 62 assists, her second highest total this season, adding 12 digs to her night.

On Saturday, the Mustangs defeated the Jamestown Jimmies in four sets, with Leah Jones leading the Mustangs with 15 kills, hitting .300 on the match, adding four service aces. Jones was one of four Mustangs with double digit kills, along with Ashley Peltier with 12, Karli Arkell with 10, and Paige Steinmetz with 10 and nine digs.

McKenzie Tolk tied her season high in digs this afternoon with 29 and Sydney Thein had 48 assists and 14 digs.

1,000 CAREER KILLS FOR JONES

During Friday's match against Northern State, Leah Jones surpassed 1,000 career kills for the Mustangs.

Jones is the 18th Mustang to reach 1,000 career kills after Emma VanHeel surpassed that mark last season.

Jones will look to add to her 1,025 career kills this weekend against Minot State and UMary.
 

SMSU IN THE AVCA POLLS

SMSU moves up two spots, from No. 16 to No. 14 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division II Week 10 Poll released on Nov. 10

SMSU is one of five NSIC schools represented in the recent poll, with Wayne State leading the conference at No. 3. Concordia-St. Paul jumps to No.6 followed by St. Cloud State at No. 11. The Mustangs are at No. 14, followed by Minnesota State at No. 23. Northern State and Minnesota Duluth dropped out of the top 25 after rough weekends, with both still receiving votes.

Following the AVCA poll released on Nov. 10, the Mustangs have now been ranked in the Top 25 for 251 of the last 252 rankings, dating back to Sept. 5, 2006.

MUSTANGS WITH NSIC HONORS

SMSU volleyball student-athletes Leah Jones, McKenzie Tolk, and Sydney Thein were awarded with Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Player of the Week honors after their performances last weekend. The three contributed to the Mustangs going 2-0, including a four-set win over No. 22 ranked Northern State, and a 3-1 win against Jamestown.

 Jones, a Junior native of Marshall, Minn., was awarded Offensive Player of the Week. Jones had 39 kills, while averaging 4.88 kills per set, and hitting .295 on the weekend. Against Northern State Jones had 24 kills in the match, and reached the 1,000 career kills mark, averaging 6.0 kills per set. The following day against Jamestown, Jones followed up with 15 kills and four service aces. Jones led the NSIC in kills per set and points per set (5.50).

Tolk, a Senior from Minneota, Minn., was awarded Defensive Player of the Week. Tolk accumulated 53 digs, averaging 6.63 digs per set, second best in the NSIC. Tolk had 24 digs and four assists in Friday's victory over Northern State and tied her season high the following day against Jamestown with 29 digs, averaging 7.25 digs per set.

Thein, a native of Clara City, Minn., was awarded Setter of the Week. Thein, a sophomore, had 110 assists, averaging an NSIC best 13.75 assists per set. Against Northern State on Friday, Thein had 62 assists, her second-highest mark this season, and averaged 15.5 assists per set. Thein followed up the next day with 48 assists against Jamestown. Thein added 12 and 14 digs in those respective matches, giving her 13 total double-doubles on the season.
 

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. 19 in hitting percentage as a team (.256), and are in the top 50 in digs per set (17.3)

The Mustangs are currently No. 10 in assists per set (13.40) and are tied for ninth in total assists (1166)

Leah Jones is No. 22 in total kills (333) and is No. 32 in kills per set with 3.87

Sydney Thein is currently fourth in DII with 1006 assists and fifth with 11.56 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 1165, and are first in digs per set (17.30). The Mustangs are also third in kills with 1236 on the season.

Leah Jones is second in the conference with 3.92 kills per set, and kills with 372.

Natalie Pilney and Karli Arkell are both in the top 20 in hitting percentage; Pilney is fifth in total blocks with 95.

Sydney Thein is currently first in the NSIC with 1116 assists and second with 11.75 assists per set.

McKenzie Tolk is second in the NSIC in total digs (495) and fourth in digs per set (4.80).

Paige Steinmetz is in the conference top 15 in both total service aces (34) 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 88-25 overall, including 55-20 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 336-95 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 participating in the NSIC Tournament next week.

More information about the upcoming opponent and tournament schedule can be found at smsumustangs.com/sports/womens-volleyball.