ST. PAUL, Minn. – The #2 Concordia-St. Paul volleyball team opens up the 2015 season this weekend as they host the Holiday Inn Volleyball Clash at the Gangelhoff Center on Friday and Saturday.
 
The Golden Bears kick off their season with an experienced squad as they return their entire starting lineup from last year in addition to bringing in five new faces to this year's team as CSP looks to remain one of the elite programs in the country.
 
Head coach Brady Starkey said, "With quite a few new additions to the lineup last year, the experience that some of our kids got will hopefully help make things even easier this year in terms of their awareness of what is going to be expected and what the competition is going to be like. You can't put a value on having experience."
 
There have been a lot of reasons for optimism early on in practice, including the team's new-found depth with the additions to the team. "One thing that has stood out so far has been the level of competition and the depth that we have at each position. The intensity and energy level has been good so far with everyone showing up ready to go at practice," said Starkey of his team.
 
Despite having their Division II-record streak of seven consecutive National Championships snapped last season, Concordia-St. Paul still put together a solid season as they finished 27-6 overall and 18-2 in NSIC play. For the Golden Bears, the philosophy stays the same as it always has been going into this year.
 
"We preach 'just try to get better every day' and keep getting in the gym and work hard to improve and the wins will hopefully accumulate," Starkey pointed out. "We just want to have a fun, competitive environment in our gym which is something that has brought us a lot of success and can sometimes be something that gets overlooked. We have a good culture in our gym with kids that can compete well on the court and really get along well off the court."
 
CSP's non-conference slate to begin the year features some stiff competition both in their home tournament as well as in the Colorado Premier Challenge. Right off the bat, the Golden Bears face #15 Palm Beach Atlantic in the opener before taking on Central Washington and Winona State. The schedule remains tough the following weekend as Concordia travels to Denver to face Angelo State and Metro State before playing a pair of matches against undetermined opponents in what is a star-studded field.
 
When speaking of the early season competition, Coach Starkey said, "We hope to be able to grind and fight for wins even if everything isn't firing on all cylinders. If we can play defense and defend at the net, things that can be controlled with effort, hopefully just by being a scrappy team we can pick up some wins."
 
From there, the competition level remains high as the Golden Bears open up NSIC action. Concordia-St. Paul begins conference play on Thursday, September 17th at home against Upper Iowa before traveling to Winona State on Saturday. The NSIC once again figures to be one of the strongest leagues in the country with four of the top six teams in NCAA Divison II. After the second-ranked Golden Bears, SMSU is ranked third, Minnesota Duluth is ranked fourth and Wayne State is ranked sixth.
 
When asked about facing that level of competition, Starkey stated, "We don't know anything different. We have to be ready to play every night and it has helped our teams perform well on the national level. Our conference as well as our region prepares teams to be able to compete at the Elite 8."
 
Concordia's depth should make a big difference in facing that competition as every position has several players capable of making an impact.
 
GOLDEN BEARS BY POSITION

Setters
Starting at the setter position, the Golden Bears bring back their incumbent starter in junior Kasey Williams as they also added freshman Elizabeth Mohr.
 
Williams was named All-America Third Team last season in her first year as starter as she finished fourth in the nation in assists per set at 12.44. She started all 33 matches and picked up 14 double-doubles as she put up a strong season at the helm of the high-powered Golden Bear offense.
 
"Kasey has come in and done a great job this fall. She had a really good spring and she has picked up right where she left off. She is doing a good job running the offense and providing quiet leadership out on the court," Starkey said of Williams.
 
Mohr steps in as a freshman and immediately gives CSP another great option at the position as she will push for playing time as well.
 
When speaking of Mohr, Starkey said, "She is a kid with great hands and a great release on her sets which makes it difficult for defenders to keep up with how quickly we can run an offense off of how she sets. She is also a strong defensive player."
 
Outside Hitters
Perhaps the deepest position on the roster for the Golden Bears comes at the outside hitter position. In addition to getting junior Emily McDonough back from injury, junior Anna Schlaak also returns after an All-America honorable mention season along with fellow starter Mariya Sampson and Brooklyn Lewis for Concordia-St. Paul. The Golden Bears also added Division I transfer Anna Pioske and freshman Hope Schiller to the group.
 
McDonough entered the season last year with high expectations after putting up a big year the year before and garnering All-America honorable mention honors before her season was cut short as she suffered a season-ending injury just two matches into the year. She will once again slot in as a key piece for the Golden Bears heading into the season.
 
Starkey said of McDonough, "She has come back and she looks like the player she was before the injury. Her ball control and defense are some of her biggest strengths which solidify our back row, but she is also starting to get up and really take some good swings as well."
 
Schlaak burst onto the scene last season to lead the team and rank sixth in the league with 3.84 kills per set and rank second on the team with 2.87 digs per set as a full-time player. She showed her versatility as she started all 33 matches and picked up 14 double-doubles.
 
"She had a really good spring and we're really excited with where she is at going into the year. She has improved her back row play to make herself a strong six-rotation player and takes smart swings from both the front and back row," Starkey said of Schlaak.
 
Sampson jumped right into the lineup as a freshman last season and put up solid numbers as she finished third on the team with 2.69 kills per set and fifth on the team with 1.37 digs per set. After McDonough's injury, Sampson played and started every match as she put up 15 matches with double-digit kills.
 
"Mariya brings to the table a huge arm and she can really terminate the ball. She has increased the variety of plays we can run for her this year and her blocking continues to get better as she could become a pretty dominant blocker in our league," said Starkey.
 
Pioske, sister of former Golden Bear Kara Pioske, joins the Golden Bears after a pair of successful seasons, including being named Big Sky Conference co-Freshman of the Year, at the University of North Dakota. She brings a strong volleyball pedigree and will push for playing time from day one.
 
Starkey pointed out, "Anna is a high-flying outside hitter who can really get up and jump. She is a phenomenal blocker and has proven herself to be a solid serve receiver as well."
 
Sophomore Brooklyn Lewis appeared in just seven matches in her first year at CSP but will also be in the mix for playing time in year two in navy and gold.
 
"Brooklyn is another big jumper who has improved her arm and flashes big potential going forward. We look for great things from her," Starkey said.
 
Freshman Hope Schiller joins her older sister, Heather, on the Golden Bears roster from Totino-Grace High School. Schiller will look to provide a defensive spark in the lineup for CSP.
 
"Hope brings phenomenal ball control and high-level back row skills as a freshman. She has also impressed us with her ability to get up and take a swing despite being a little undersized. We have been very pleased with her so far," said Starkey of the freshman.
 
On the right side, Emma Lange returns after being named All-America Second Team as a sophomore. Lange ranked seventh in the NSIC with a .326 hitting percentage with 2.49 kills per set while along contributing 0.97 blocks per set in a breakout year. Mariya Sampson and potentially Shelby Seurer will also challenge for playing time on the right side.
 
"She is a huge blocking force for us who can also get up and terminate. Her high end is as high as anybody's and we look for her to keep getting better and improving. When she is on, she is a nearly un-defendable player," Starkey said of Lange.
 
In the middle, the strong duo of Riley Hanson and Heather Schiller return while D-I transfer Shelby Seurer is added to the mix.
 
Middle Blockers
Hanson, a junior, put up a huge season last year as she earned All-America First Team honors by hitting .386, 11^th best in the nation, and collecting 3.29 kills per set as well as 0.91 blocks per set. She started all 33 matches and had double-figure kills in 25 matches as she proved to be an anchor in the middle for the Golden Bears.
 
When speaking of Hanson, Starkey said, "She has proven herself as one of the more dominant middle hitters in the country. She is a dynamic kid who can get up and hit from any spot on the court which makes her a difficult player to match up against."
 
Senior Heather Schiller looks to finish her career strong after being named All-America Second Team as a sophomore and All-NSIC as a junior. She will once again be counted on to provide a dominant defensive presence in the middle of the court.
 
"She has come into the year in great shape and is really jumping high and blocking everything at the net. She comes into her senior season really fired up and ready to go," said Starkey of his lone senior in the front row.
 
Seurer provides a third solid option in the middle as she is coming off being named to the Mid-American Conference All-Freshman Team at Northern Illinois last year. Her abilities at the net will help her push for playing time for CSP.
 
Speaking of Seurer's game, Starkey said, "She brings a heavy, heavy arm and is crafty which allows her to see the block and hit around it. Her blocking is improving and we look for big things from her."
 
Liberos
In the back row, senior Taylor Dordan returns as the libero along with freshman Taylor Soine.
 
Dordan brings major experience to the table for Concordia-St. Paul after starting in each of her first three seasons in navy and gold. She has led the team in digs for the last two years, including a mark of 3.56 per set last year.
 
"She is doing a great job of solidifying our ball control and is digging even more balls this fall than she was last season," Starkey said of Dordan.
 
Soine comes to Concordia-St. Paul after a strong high school career at Chanhassen High School. She will step in and challenge for time at the libero position right away.
 
"She is a strong serve receive and ball control kid who has a knack for where the ball is going to be. Her, along with Hope, will hopefully solidify our back row for a long time to come," stated Starkey about Soine.
 
Starkey talked about the team overall, saying, "Offensively we have some kids that can terminate the ball in pretty much every position and are a couple deep at each one of those positions to go along with a couple solid liberos and setters. We don't have a ton of glaring holes because of our balance which is probably our biggest strength."
 
The Golden Bears will kick off their season at 1:30 p.m. on Friday against #15 Palm Beach Atlantic and 5:00 p.m. against Central Washington before taking on Winona State at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday.