This week

SMSU begins a three-match week on Tuesday, hosting Sioux Falls at 6 p.m.

Last week

The Mustangs went 1-1 over the weekend, falling to No. 9 Minnesota Duluth in five sets before topping No. 4 St. Cloud State in five sets.

Minnesota Duluth outlasted SMSU 25-17, 15-25, 25-21, 24-26, 15-9 in a defensive battle on Friday night.

The Mustangs responded on Saturday, using 23 kills from Meg Schmidt and 51 assists from Alisa Bengen to earn a dramatic come-from-behind five-set victory over the Huskies.

Schmidt shines on way to milestone

On Friday night, Meg Schmidt became the 16th Mustang to record 1,000 career kills.

She finished Friday with a match-high 18 kills in the loss to UMD.

Scmidt kept it rolling into Saturday afternoon, recording a career-high 23 kills against SCSU to lead SMSU to their first win over a top 5 opponent since defeating CSP last season.

About SMSU

The Mustangs opened the season with 11 straight victories, tying last years club for the second longest streak to start a season in program history.

Saari Kuehl leads the Mustangs with 173 kills and 2.93 kills per set, with Emma VanHeel contributing 137 kills, while Halle Jansen has recorded 149 kills.

Karli Arkell has quickly adjusted to the college game, recording 130 kills on a .333 hitting percentage.

Alisa Bengen has done a little of everything from the setter position, dishing out 623 assists, 104 digs, 63 kills, and 15 blocks.

The defense is anchored by McKenzie Tolk and Natalee Rolbiecki, a pair of freshmen from Minneota who lead the team with 170 digs and 158 digs, respectively.

2022 outlook

The Mustangs look to reach the NSIC tournament for the second consecutive season, returning eight letter winners and adding seven freshmen.

Senior right-side hitter Meg Schmidt earned All-NSIC first team and AVCA All-American honorable mention accolades in 2021 after ranking second on the squad with 334 kills, while hitting a team-high .304. She finished among top three on the team in kills (334), points (409.5), assists (129), service aces (32) and blocks (64) a season ago.

Sophomore middle blockers Emma VanHeel and Katelyn Nichols look to build off strong freshman campaigns that saw them finish third and fourth in kills, respectively, and top two on the team in blocks.

Senior setter Alisa Bengen also returns after ranking first on the squad with 707 assists a season ago.