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ST. PAUL, Minn. - The third-seeded Concordia University volleyball team (29-3) begins the pursuit for their seventh consecutive NCAA Championship this Thursday at noon as they take on sixth-seeded Northern State (22-7) in Duluth. The Golden Bears will be meeting the Wolves for the third time this year, sweeping the first two meetings in St. Paul.
The Golden Bears take on the sixth-seeded Northern State Wolves in their 34th matchup all-time. Concordia leads the series 26-7 and has won all 24 meetings since a four set Wolves win on November 8th, 2002 in Aberdeen. CU swept Wolves in both meetings this year, the first coming on November 2nd in St. Paul in the regular season and the second coming in the NSIC/US Bank semifinals, also in St. Paul.
On Friday, if CU advances, they will take on the winner of Central Missouri and Nebraska-Kearney.
Concordia owns a 7-0 mark against the Jennies of Central Missouri with their last match coming back in 2011 in the NCAA Quarterfinals. The Golden Bears swept that match in their only meeting in the NCAA Tournament.
The Golden Bears have beaten Nebraska-Kearney in all three meetings, each coming in the Central Region Tournament. Last season, CU defeated the Lopers in four sets in the Central Region final.
In their last time out, Concordia entered the NSIC/US Bank Tournament as the top seed and opened up with a sweep of Minnesota Crookston on Wednesday. The win meant the Golden Bears would host the semifinals and finals with the four remaining teams coming to town. CU faced off against NSU for the second time in St. Paul this year and swept them to set up a matchup between the top two seeds. The Bulldogs and Golden Bears traded blows with a combined 70 ties and lead changes in the match, but UMD put away Concordia in straight sets to win the tournament title and an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Golden Bears were selected as the #3 seed in the NCAA Central Region Tournament and will take on the #6 seed Northern State Wolves for the third time this year. The match will take place on Thursday, December 5th in Duluth. Concordia has won the only match between the two schools in NCAA Tournament play.
Concordia has won six consecutive NCAA Division II Championships, the longest streak in Division II history and tied for the longest streak at any level. This season, Concordia is attempting to set the NCAA record with seven straight titles. The record is currently shared with Washington University (St. Louis) at the Division III level between 1991 and 1996.
Not only is Concordia tied for most consecutive championships, but its six total titles is still more than any other DII program, with the next closest being Portland State (4) while Barry University and West Texas A&M each have three titles.
Concordia has won the NCAA Central Region Championship eight of the last ten years (2003, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012) and has won 36-consecutive matches in NCAA Tournament play, last losing in the regional title match in 2006 to Minnesota Duluth. Concordia holds a 46-4 all-time record in the NCAA Tournament and is 8-0 in regional quarterfinal matches. Concordia is 26-2 in regional tournament play including a 10-0 mark in the semifinals and 8-2 record in the region title match.
Follow the entire tournament online at the website listed above.
