Last TIME OUT
- The No. 16 ranked SMSU earned a 3-0 sweep over Minnesota Crookston by set scores of 25-12, 25-14, 25-12.
- SMSU was led by Leah Jones with 13 kills on .300 hitting and nine digs. Emma VanHeel supported the attack with 10 kills on .429 hitting and four block assists, while Saari Kuehl swung for nine kills.
- Sydney Thein supported the attack with 31 set assists and helped defensively with 12 digs, enough for a double-double.
- McKenzie Tolk was the anchor for the Mustangs on the back line, tallying 16.
MUSTANG MACHINES
- SMSU ranks first in the NSIC in digs per set (19.29), and assists per set (13.93), while ranking second in kills per set (14.66), fifth in blocks per set (2.09) and sixth in team hitting pct. (.238).
- Senior outside hitter Saari Kuehl leads SMSU in hitting with 280 kills (3.26 per set), followed by sophomore outside hitter Leah Jones with 255 kills (2.97 per set). Senior middle blocker Emma VanHeel comes in third with 239 kills while sophomore right side hitter Ashley Peltier adds 219 kills.
- VanHeel also leads the Mustang blockers with 90 blocks.
- Redshirt freshman setter Sydney Thein anchors the offense with 1,012 assists (11.77 per set) while supporting the attack with 62 kills on .317 hitting. Thein adds 278 digs and 24 service aces.
- Junior libero McKenzie Tolk leads the defense with 461 digs (5.36 per set) while supporting the offense with 79 assists.
SMSU IN THE NATIONAL RANKS
- The Mustangs currently hold multiple team and individual placements amongst the weekly NCAA statistical leader boards.
- SMSU ranks third in the nation in assists per set (13.93), fifth in Division II in kills per set (14.66) and in digs per set (19.29).
- The Mustangs sit at No. 8 in total assists (1,198), No. 13 in total kills (1,261), and No. 17 in total digs (1,659).
- Sydney Thein comes in at No. 6 in assists per set (11.77) and No. 5 in total assists (1,012), while McKenzie Tolk ranks No. 18 in digs per set (5.36) and No. 21 in total digs (461).
SERIES HISTORY
- Today will be the 101st meeting between SMSU and BSU, with the Mustangs leading 70-30 in the all-time series.
- The Mustangs have defeated the Beavers in the last 31 match-ups.
- SMSU is 30-5 all-time at home versus BSU.
MORE ON Bemidji State
- The Beavers dropped Friday match against Winona State in three sets.
- Ashley Crowl leads the Beavers offense with 254 kills. Crowl has posted a team-high 34 service aces with six assists in support of the offense, while helping the defense 209 digs and 27 blocks.
- Rylie Bjerklie follows behind with 215 kills and ranks first defensively with 74 total blocks. Bjerklie has recorded 15 service aces and 11 assists.
- Emily Wade is the anchor for the offense, putting up a team-high 733 assists while holding it down defensively with 188 digs, good enough for fourth on the team. Wade adds 12 service aces.
- Jada Wlodarczyk excels on the back line with a team-high 359 digs to go with 21 service aces and 70 assists.
- Zayda Priebe ranks fourth with 101 kills and second with 56 blocks.
- Ava Athman rounds out the top-five BSU attackers with 95 kills and supports the offense with 24 service aces and 24 blocks.
- BSU is averaging 11.5 kills per set on 16.7 percent hitting while opponents average 12.5 kills per set on 22.0 percent hitting.