LAST TIME OUT
- The Mustangs (10-4, 3-4 NSIC) were beaten in five sets by Minnesota State (14-1, 6-1 NSIC), 19-25, 25-18, 19-25, 25-20, 11-15.
- Leah Jones had her career high in kills with 26 while hitting .350 on the match.
- Ashley Peltier had 12 kills, and both Karli Arkell and Mya Krystosek added 11 kills each, with Krystosek having her second highest career dig total in a match with 22.
- McKenzie Tolk had her season high in digs with 29 and Sydney Thein had 49 assists and 12 digs.
- The Mustangs hit .203 as a team (65-26-192), while the Mavericks, who were led in kills by Mary Satori with 16, hit .192 (61-23-198)
2025 OUTLOOK
- SMSU returns 12 letter winners from its 2024 team that finished with a 23-6 overall record and made the NCAA Tournament for the 18th time in program history. The 2025 team features three seniors, four juniors, five sophomores, a redshirt freshman, and six true freshmen.
- SMSU senior libero, McKenzie Tolk, was named an NSIC ‘Player to Watch’. Tolk earned AVCA All-American honorable mention honors in 2024, leading the Mustangs with 605 digs, while averaging a school single-season record 5.4 digs per set. A two-time All-NSIC second team honoree, Tolk enters the 2025 season ranking 10th in team history with 1,354 digs.
- Junior outside hitter Leah Jones returns to the team after earning All-NSIC second team honors last season, and ranking second on the team with 326 kills and first with 1,073 attacks.
- Junior right-side/middle blocker Ashley Peltier, an All-NSIC second team honoree, returns after finishing fourth on the team in 2024 with 295 kills, while hitting .284 on 728 attacks.
- Sophomore setter Sydney Thein received 2024 All-NSIC first team honors, while dishing out a team-high 1,294 assists and was third on the squad with 370 digs. Thein was seventh in the NCAA with 11.55 assists per set.
HEAD COACH TYLER BODDY
- Tyler Boddy is in his fourth season as head coach in 2025 and has a career record of 79-23 overall, including 46-18 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 317-89 which includes two Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference regular season titles and two NSIC tournament championships.
- 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.
MORE ON NO. 8 CONCORDIA-ST. PAUL
- 2025 Record: 11-3, 7-0 NSIC
- Current NSIC Ranking: 2nd (as of Oct. 7)
- Head Coach: Brady Starkey, 23rd season
- The Golden Bears started the season 4-3 in non conference play, losing to Indianapolis, Missouri Western, and Ferris State
- Last weekend the Golden Eagles played a pair of home matches, sweeping both Augustana and then No. 9 ranked Wayne State.
- Sophomore outside hitter Makenna Nold leads the Golden Bears in kills with 201, averaging 4.19 kills per set. She is currently third in the NSIC in kills, and first in kills per set ; she is also in the NCAA DII top 15 for kills per set.
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 in the top 15 in DII in kills per set (14.13), No. 35 in digs per set (17.20), and No. 24 in hitting percentage as a team (.254)
- The Mustangs are currently ninth in assists per set (13.36) and are T-No. 15 in total assists (735)
- Leah Jones is No. 31 in kills per set with 3.89, and is currently T-No. 19 in total kills (210).
- Sydney Thein is currently fifth in DII with 625 assists and seventh with 11.36 assists per set.
SMSU IN THE AVCA POLL
- SMSU moves down five spots, from No. 12 to No. 17 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division II Week 5 Poll released on Oct. 6.
- SMSU is one of seven NSIC schools represented in the recent poll, with Concordia-St. Paul leading the conference at No. 8. St. Cloud State jumps to No. 10 followed by Wayne State dropping to No. 11. Minnesota Duluth moves up two places to No. 13 with the Mustangs at No. 17. Minnesota State joins the top 25 for the first time this season at No. 22, and Northern State is at No. 23.
- Following the AVCA poll released on Sept. 15, the Mustangs have now been ranked in the Top 25 for 246 of the last 247 rankings, dating back to Sept. 5, 2006.
GAME LINKS