Boasting an impressive 23-1 overall record on the season, the Southwest Minnesota State University Mustang volleyball team is now ranked No. 1 in Division II by the American Volleyball Coaches Association Top 25 poll for the first time in school history. To date, the Mustangs have been ranked in the AVCA Top 25 for 89 consecutive weeks, dating back to Sept. 5, 2006.

More impressive yet, the Mustangs have only dropped eight of 77 sets thus far.  The Mustangs’ only loss came from Concordia-St. Paul, who topped SMSU in three sets: 25-19, 25-20, and 28-26. The Mustangs have swept 18 of their 23 wins, dropping sets only to Concordia-St. Paul, Minnesota State University- Moorhead, Winona State, and Upper Iowa.

The Mustangs are a young squad, led by just three seniors: Mary Groth, Devin Diedrich, and Brooke Burmeister. The remainder of the team consists of one junior, three sophomores, and seven freshmen, meaning the Mustangs will have talent for years to come.

SMSU was voted No. 1 for the third week in a row, receiving 29 of 32 first place votes. Other teams from the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference include Concordia- St. Paul, ranked No. 2; University of Nebraska-Kearney, ranked No. 4; University of Minnesota-Duluth, ranked No. 5; Wayne State, ranked No. 16; and Minnesota State, ranked No. 20.

The No. 1 ranked Mustangs will next be in action on the road versus Wayne State on Thursday, Nov. 1, followed by a home game against Augustana on Saturday, Nov. 3.