THIS WEEK

The No. 13 ranked Southwest Minnesota State University volleyball team has recieved the sixth seed in the NSIC Volleyball Tournament after posting a 14-6 record in conference play this season.

The Mustangs travel to St. Cloud, Minn., facing the third seeded St. Cloud State Huskies at 6 p.m. Tuesday.

The winner of the match will advance to the semifinals, facing either Wayne State / Northern State on either Friday, Nov. 21. or Saturday, Nov. 22.

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

SERIES HISTORY

SMSU will play St. Cloud State for the 55th time on Tuesday, with the Mustangs holding a 28-26 advantage in the series.

The Huskies defeated the Mustangs earlier in the season in St. Cloud in five sets, bringing the Mustangs record in the last five contests to 2-3.

SMSU's last win against SCSU in St. Cloud came in 2017.

SMSU IN THE NSIC TOURNAMENT

After earning the sixth seed in this season's NSIC Volleyball Tournament, the Mustangs have now made the postseason for the fifth consecutive year and 21st time overall.

SMSU were beaten in the quarterfinals by Northern State 3-1 in the NSIC Tournament last season.

The Mustangs have won two NSIC Tournament titles in 2012 and 2017.

SMSU NSIC Tournament Results (since 2015)

2024 NORTHERN STATE | L, 1-3

    2023    MINNESOTA DULUTH | L, 1-3

    2022    vs. St. Cloud State | L, 0-3

    2021    vs. St. Cloud State | L, 0-3

    2018    at Minnesota Duluth | L, 1-3

    2018    vs. Northern State | W, 3-2

    2018    WAYNE STATE | W, 3-0

    2017*    at Concordia-St. Paul | W, 3-0

    2017    vs. Augustana | W, 3-2

    2017    UPPER IOWA | W, 3-0

    2016    at Concordia-St. Paul | L, 0-3

    2016    vs. Wayne State | W, 3-0

    2016    SIOUX FALLS | W, 3-0

    2015    vs. Winona State | L, 2-3

    2015    AUGUSTANA | W, 3-2

PREVIEWING No. 11 ST. CLOUD STATE

2025 Record: 23-6, 18-2 NSIC

Final NSIC Ranking: 3rd (as of Nov. 15)

Head Coach: Chad Braegelmann, 11th season

Since defeating the Mustangs in five sets in early October, the Huskies have gone 12-2 in the NSIC with losses to Wayne State and Concordia-St. Paul

The Huskies have won 10 straight matches in the NSIC, earning victories against Northern State, Minnesota State, Minnesota Duluth, and Sioux Falls.

St. Cloud State had three student-athletes recieving First Team All-Conference in Shelby Kimm, Braya LaPlant, and Ella Thompson. Sam Zimmerman recieved Second Team All-Conference for the Huskies.

Thompson finished the regular season seventh in the NSIC averaging 3.42 kills per set, ninth in both hitting percentage (.338) and total blocks (85), and No.11 in kills with 318.

Braya LaPlant finished third in the conference in assists per set with 11.38, and sixth in total assists (1013).

LAST WEEK

The Mustangs returned to Marshall for the final regular season matches this season, defeating UMary on Senior Night Friday, and Minot State the next day, both in three sets.

Against the Marauders Leah Jones led the Mustangs in kills with 15, hitting .519, with five digs. Senior Karli Arkell had her third highest kills total this season with 14, hitting .579, with two total blocks. As a pair, Jones and Arkell hit .543 on the match (29-4-46). Senior McKenzie Tolk led the team in digs with 10, and Sydney Thein added 33 assists to her season.

On Saturday, Ashley Peltier led the team in kills with 12, while hitting .550 in the match. Leah Jones had eight kills and four service aces. Paige Steinmetz and Natalie Pilney each had seven kills, with Steinmetz leading the team in digs with 11. Sydney Thein led the way in assists with 34.

1,000 CAREER KILLS FOR JONES

During the match on Nov. 7 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 1,048 career kills Tuesday night againt SCSU in the NSIC Volleyball Tournament quarterfinal.

MUSTANGS WITH ALL-CONFERENCE HONORS

SMSU outside hitter Leah Jones was named to the All-NSIC first team, while Ashley Peltier, Sydney Thein and McKenzie Tolk were named to the All-NSIC second team the league announced office Thursday afternoon.

The all-conference teams and specialty awards were selected by the 16 conference head coaches.

Jones, a junior native of Marshall, Minn., earned All-NSIC first team honors for the second time in her career, earning first team honors in 2023 and All-NSIC second team in 2024. She leads the NSIC in conference play with 283 kills and 314 total points, averaging 3.99 kills per set, which ranks second in the conference. In the latest NCAA national statistics (Nov. 12), Jones ranks 25th in kills per set and 34th in points per set.

Ashley Peltier ranks second in kills for the Mustangs, with 252 while racking up 185 in conference matches. A junior from Taylors Falls, Minn., Peltier ranks 13th in the NSIC in hitting percentage at .303. It's the second straight season she has earned All-NSIC second team honors.

Sophomore Sydney Thein, a setter from Clara City, Minn., earns all-conference honors for the second straight season. Thein is first in conference play in assists with 820 and is third in assists per set with 11.55. In total this season, Thein is second in Division II in total assists with 1,116 and is third with 11.75 assists per set. She also leads the team in double-doubles with 13. Thein has earned NSIC Setter of the Week twice this season.

McKenzie Tolk, a senior libero from Minneota, Minn., receives All-NSIC second team honors for the third straight season. Tolk leads the NSIC with 344 digs in conference matches and ranks fourth in digs per set with 4.85. She was awarded NSIC Defensive Player of the Week on Nov. 10, for the second time in her career.

SMSU IN THE NATIONAL RANKS  

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

SMSU rank No. 10 in DII in kills per set (14.42), No. 16 in hitting percentage as a team (.260), and are No. 38 in digs per set (17.43)

The Mustangs are currently eighth in assists per set (13.59) and are No. 11 in total assists (1373)

Leah Jones is No. 21 in total kills (395) and is No. 27 in kills per set with 3.95

Sydney Thein is currently second in DII with 1183 assists and fourth with 11.71 assists per set.

MUSTANGS LEADING THE CONFERENCE  

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

SMSU ranks first in the conference in assists with 1372, and are first in digs per set (17.43). The Mustangs are also third in kills with 1456 on the season.

Leah Jones is second in the conference with 3.91 kills per set, and kills with 395.

Natalie Pilney and Karli Arkell are both in the top 20 in hitting percentage; Pilney is fourth in total blocks with 102.

Sydney Thein is currently first in the NSIC with 1183 assists and second with 11.71 assists per set.

McKenzie Tolk is third in the NSIC in total digs (476) and fourth in digs per set (4.71).

Paige Steinmetz is in the conference top 12 in both total service aces (37) and aces per set (0.37).

SMSU IN THE AVCA POLLS

SMSU moves up one spot to No. 13 in the recent American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) DII poll released on Monday afternoon.

SMSU is one of five NSIC schools represented in the recent poll, with Wayne State leading the conference at No. 2. Concordia-St. Paul moves up one spot to No. 5 followed by St. Cloud State at No. 11. The Mustangs are at No. 13, followed by Minnesota State at No. 22. Northern State and Minnesota Duluth are receiving votes.

Following the AVCA poll released on Nov. 17, the Mustangs have now been ranked in the Top 25 for 252 of the last 253 rankings, dating back to Sept. 5, 2006.

HEAD COACH TYLER BODDY  

Tyler Boddy is in his fourth season as head coach in 2025 and has a career record of 90-25 overall, including 57-20 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 338-95 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 winner of the match tomorrow night between SMSU and SCSU will play this weekend in the NSIC Tournament semifinal against either Wayne State or Northern State.

More information will be available at https://northernsun.org/tournaments/?id=132&path=wvball, or smsumustangs.com/sports/womens-volleyball.