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All notes courtesy of SMSU athletics communications.
MARSHALL – THIS WEEK
The No. 14 ranked SMSU volleyball team, after beginning NSIC play last weekend, hosts its first games inside the PE Gym in 2026.
SMSU opens play with a match on Friday against No. 10 ranked St. Cloud State at 6 p.m.
The Mustangs then face Minnesota State the following day at 2 p.m. In honor of 'Alumni Weekend', SMSU will be hosting a 'Gameday Round Up' at 12 p.m.
All matches are listed in central time.
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.
SERIES HISTORY
SMSU will face St. Cloud State for the 56th time on Friday with the Mustangs holding a 28-27 advantage over the Huskies.
SCSU has won the last three meetings against SMSU, however, the Mustangs have won the last two matchups played in Marshall. Tyler Boddy holds a 2-4 record against SCSU as SMSU head coach.
The Mustangs will meet the Minnesota State Mavericks for the 65th time on Saturday with MSU holding a 33-31 lead in the series.
The Mavericks have gotten the better of the Mustangs in the last two matchups, but the Mustangs have not lost in Marshall against MSU since 2014 (6-0 in that span). Coach Boddy is 3-2 against MSU as head coach.
RECAP OF LAST WEEK
The Mustangs began NSIC play last weekend, dropping a four-set match against No. 5 ranked Concordia-St. Paul and winning a four-set contest against Winona State.
Leah Jones led the way last weekend with 28 kills in the two matches while hitting .295, including a 17 kill performance against Winona State hitting .366.
Mollie Rupp finished second with 20 kills. Mya Krystosek and Natalie Pilney each finished the weekend with 19 kills.
Freshman Tatem Schmidt paced the Mustang offense with 59 assists in total, including a season-high 31 assists against WSU.
Ashlynn Schroeder had 37 digs, including 20 digs against CSP, her second match of 20+ digs this season.
MUSTANGS BY THE NUMBERS
SMSU returns 11 letter winners from the 2025 team that won 21 games last season. The 2026 team features three seniors, four juniors, three sophomores, two redshirt freshman, and five true freshmen.
The Mustangs have collected 445 kills over the first nine matches with a team hitting percentage of .269. SMSU is holding teams to a hitting percentage of .154.
Senior outside hitter Leah Jones leads the Mustangs with 98 kills and 3.27 kills per set. The Marshall, Minn., native has five matches of 10 or more kills.
Natalie Pilney and Mya Krystosek are second and third on the team in kills respectively. Pilney, a junior middle blocker, is second on the team with a .339 hitting percentage, and 25 total blocks. Krystosek, a senior outside hitter is second on the team in digs with 97 and digs per set (3.23).
Freshman middle blocker Lindsay Kruse is tied for fourth on the team with 68 kills hitting a team-best .380. Kruse has four matches with nine or more kills and four matches hitting .400 or better.
Minnesota Duluth transfer Mollie Rupp is tied for fourth on the team with 68 kills and third with a kills per set ratio of 2.34.
Sophomore libero Ashlynn Schroeder is currently pacing the Mustangs defensively with 132 digs and 4.40 digs per set. Schroeder has 15+ digs in five matches this year including a 25 dig match against Missouri Western.
Freshman setter Tatem Schmidt currently leads the Mustangs with 213 assists and an assist per set ratio of 7.10. Schmidt is also third on the team in digs with 90. The Huxley, Iowa, native has eight matches of 20 or more assists, and racked up 26 digs against Missouri Western.
Both Schmidt and freshman Reese Drake lead the team in service aces with 11 a piece.
Junior setter Sydney Thein has collected 154 assists and 5.13 assists per set. Thein has three matches with 20+ assists and five matches with five or more digs.
SMSU IN THE NATIONAL RANKS
The Mustangs have begun the 2026 season with team and individual placements amongst the NCAA statistical leader boards.
SMSU is ranked first in assists per set (14.0), second in attacks per set (39.8) and fourth in kills per set (14.83).
The Mustangs are also ranked No. 11 in digs per set (18.47), No. 26 in hitting percentage (.269), and No. 32 in Match W/L percentage (.778).
Lindsay Kruse is ranked at No. 51 in hitting percentage (.380).
ON THE HORIZON
SMSU continues NSIC play with both a home and away match next week.
The Mustangs face Sioux Falls inside the Stewart Center on Thursday, Sept. 24, at 6 p.m. SMSU then hosts Augustana for the SAAC Game of the Year on Saturday, Sept. 26, at 2 p.m., against Augustana.