SMSU Athletics

Tyler Boddy vs. Opponents

Tyler Boddy enters his fourth season as head coach in 2025 and has a career record of 69-19 overall, including 43-13 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play. He has led the Mustangs to a pair of NCAA tournament appearances during his three seasons as head coach. 
 
Boddy, who 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 the 2024 season, Boddy once again led the Mustangs to the NCAA tournament. SMSU finished the year 23-6 overall and 14-4 in NSIC play, climbing as high as No. 4 in the AVCA Top 25 Poll before closing the year at No. 16. SMSU had its best start since the 2017 season winning its first 14 games, and best start in conference play since 2019, beginning a perfect 5-0 in NSIC contests. A well-rounded Mustang defensive unit saw the 2024 team finish 10th in school history in digs per set (19.49), with junior libero McKenzie Tolk setting the school record in digs per set (5.40), while her 605 digs rank seventh in a single season at SMSU.

SMSU junior libero McKenzie Tolk was named an AVCA All-Region honorable mention and AVCA All-American honorable mention, as well as All-NSIC second team. Redshirt freshman Sydney Thein was named to the All-NSIC first team after earning NSIC Setter of the Week three times (9/23, 9/30, 10/28), while Leah Jones, Saari Kuehl, and Ashley Peltier all earned All-NSIC second team accolades. SMSU had four student-athletes earn CSC Academic All-District honors.

In his second season as head coach in 2023, Boddy elevated the Mustangs back to the national stage. SMSU earned its first NCAA tournament appearance since 2018, ending a five-year drought. SMSU finished the year going 23-7 overall and 14-4 in NSIC play, ranking as high as No. 5 in the national poll before finishing the season ranked at No. 11. The season was highlighted by numerous victories over nationally-ranked opponents, including defeating No. 6 St. Cloud State and No. 14 Minnesota Duluth both in four sets in the same weekend.

SMSU freshman Leah Jones was named the NSIC and AVCA Central Region Freshman of the Year, while also earning All-NSIC first team accolades. Alisa Bengen, Saari Kuehl and McKenzie Tolk all earned All-NSIC second team accolades. The team also had four players earn CSC Academic All-District honors.

In his first season as head coach in 2022, Boddy kept the Mustangs moving in the right direction, going 23-6 overall and 15-5 in NSIC play while ranking as high as No. 5-nationally before finishing the season ranked No. 12 and just missing an NCAA tournament bid. SMSU's record included a pair of top-five victories, highlighted by a five set thriller over No. 1 Wayne State on Oct. 22. Boddy also opened his career with 11 straight victories, the longest streak to begin a coaching career in SMSU history. Three Mustangs, Meg Schmidt (first team), Emma VanHeel (second team) and Bengen (second team) earned All-NSIC honors, while four players were named CSC Academic All-District.

Boddy joined the SMSU coaching staff in 2012 and since that time the program has appeared in nine NCAA tournaments, including finishing as NCAA national runners-up in 2014. In Boddy's 13 seasons at SMSU, the Mustangs have a combined record of 294-83, which includes two NSIC regular season titles, two NSIC tournament championships and nine appearances in the NCAA tournament.
 
Since joining the staff, Boddy has recruited or coached 48 All-NSIC honorees, 17 AVCA All-Americans, a three-time NSIC Player of the Year, a two-time AVCA National Player of the Year, a NSIC Freshman of the Year, an AVCA Central Region Freshman of the Year, and three CoSIDA/CSC Academic All-Americans.
 
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.

 

Year	School	Overall	Conference	NSIC Finish
2022	SMSU	23-6	15-5	4th
2023	SMSU	23-7	14-4	3rd
2024	SMSU	23-6	14-4	4th
Overall	3 years	69-19	43-13