ST. PAUL, Minn. – The top-ranked defending national champion Concordia Golden Bears return to the court this weekend as they travel south for the 2017 Terrace Hotel Classic. CSP is set for a pair of contests on Friday and two more on Saturday.
 
SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE
For the first time since the 2010 season, the Golden Bears will open the season away from home after hosting a non-conference tournament in each of the past six seasons. This year, CSP is set to take on nationally ranked competition in Florida before travelling west to Colorado on Sept. 8-9 for the Colorado Premier Challenge.
 
As has been the case nearly every season under head coach Brady Starkey, Concordia will face some stiff competition leading up to the regular season in non-conference action. About the non-conference slate, Starkey said, "We schedule the way we do just to throw them in the deep end and see what they can do." He added, "We like to see a lot of teams that the types were going to have to see in our conference and come playoff time if we're lucky enough to be there." With contests scheduled against #12 Western Washington, Florida Southern, Central Washington and #17 Tampa in the opening weekend as well as West Florida and #8 Lewis the next weekend, all six of Concordia's scheduled opponents are at least receiving votes in the AVCA Preseason Coaches Poll.
 
When talking about what he hopes to see from the team early on in the season, Starkey said, "I think the biggest thing I want to see is if we are willing to be gritty and fight for games. I don't think anybody plays incredibly smooth this time of the year and I don't think we'll be any different. If they can grind out wins by serving tough and keeping the ball off the floor that will bode well for us later on in the year."
 
The level of competition carries into the NSIC season with the league featuring three of the top-5, five of the top-10 and seven of the top-24 teams in the country (#1, #2, #5, #7, #10, #13, #24). While the level of play at the top of the NSIC continues to be among the best in the country, the growth and development of some of the up-and-coming programs has raised the bar even more over the past few seasons. "It's gotten almost ridiculous with the whole upper half of the conference either nationally ranked or close to it," Starkey said with a chuckle. He continued by saying, "Every single time you go play there's a strong possibility that if you don't show up to play you're going to lose. Even what would be considered the bottom half of the league still has to be taken seriously, especially with a young team like we have."
 
NEW-LOOK SQUAD
The lineup that sets foot on the court to open the season on Friday will look dramatically different than the lineup that claimed the program's eighth national title in 10 years last season. CSP will be tasked to replace the production of six key contributors, including five former All-Americans, as the Golden Bears graduated a large chunk of the starting unit. The list of departures includes a pair of three-time All-Americans in Riley Hanson and Emma Lange, a pair of two-time All-Americans in Kasey Williams and Anna Schlaak, as well as one-time selection Emily McDonough as well as the versatile Anna Pioske.
 
While Concordia will miss the production and leadership of the departing senior class, the excitement of having a new group of student athletes has been evident over the first few weeks of practice. "I think it's been fun so far. It kind of gives us a new energy in the gym with some different faces and kids we haven't worked with before which has gotten our returners fired up to compete with at practice," head coach Brady Starkey said of the group.
 
EXPERIENCED CORE
It won't be all new faces across the board for CSP, however, as the team also brings back a solid group of veterans that have been around the program for a few years to provide the team with an experienced core heading into the year. Starkey pointed out of the senior, "The transition has been smooth because the girls have had the spring to take care of that. Shelby (Seurer) and Mariya (Sampson) have been a strong presence on our team even when they were younger and Taylor Schile adds some leadership qualities to the mix as a kid who knows what to do and does the right things."
 
Having that continuity will be helpful for the Golden Bears in maintaining their identity on the court. Starkey pointed out, "We'll still continue to be a balanced team with our offense coming from several different places like it always has." One thing that Starkey hopes to see from the team early on is solid ball control from the squad. After losing stalwarts in the serve receive from last season. He stated, "We have some talented kids that are returners and we have some incoming freshmen that are strong in that end. Hopefully between those two groups we will be able to fill that aspect of things."
 
GOLDEN BEARS BY POSITION
With both veterans and newcomers at nearly every position, the Golden Bears are poised to enter the season with competition pretty much across the board as players push each other at practice and fight to earn playing time.
 
Perhaps the most experienced spot in the lineup is in the middle for CSP. Despite the graduation of the program's all-time leader in hitting percentage in Riley Hanson, Concordia will have a pair of middles that both started at least 17 matches last season in senior Shelby Seurer and sophomore Sara Macek. Seurer paced the squad with an impressive 1.15 blocks per set while Macek's .456 hitting percentage would have surpassed Hanson's nation-leading mark of .433 had she had enough attempts on the year. Joining those two in the mix for time in the middle is freshman Leah Damerow, who was an All-Conference performer at Irondale High School.
 
On the outside, senior Mariya Sampson returns as perhaps the team's most experienced player with 611 career kills over 69 matches in her three previous seasons. Hope Schiller gives CSP another experienced option as she transitions from primarily working as a serving specialist and playing in the back row to being more of an all-around player after picking up 42 aces, 0.37 per set, last year. Along with Sampson and Schiller on the outside, sophomore Syndey Book, a transfer from UW-Milwaukee, and freshman Erin Fallert, a three-time All-State selection from Concordia Academy, will also be pushing to earn a spot in the lineup for the Golden Bears.
 
While the right side has been the domain of three-time All-American Emma Lange over the past three years, junior Brooklyn Lewis and freshman Rachel Tschida will get a shot to earn playing time there this season. Lewis, a fourth year player in the program, made 16 appearances last season and took advantage of her opportunities with 2.00 kills per set and a .442 hitting percentage on 86 swings while Rachel Tschida earned All-State honorable mention honors at North High School.
 
The setter position also features a returner that has been biding their time in Elizabeth Mohr as well as a talented freshman in Payton Nutter competing to start. Mohr enters her third year at CSP after functioning as a server and defensive specialist in her first two years and now returns to her natural position while Nutter enters the picture after leading Bethlehem Academy to three state titles in high school.
 
Perhaps the biggest competition for playing time comes at libero with three different players vying for time on the court early in the season as Concordia heads into the year with a pair of upperclassmen in senior Taylor Schile and junior Taylor Soine as well as a newcomer in freshman Tori Hanson. Schile and Soine both saw limited action last year behind Emily McDonough as Schile made five appearances and Soine made nine while Tori Hanson finished her career as a 1,000/1,000 player at Delano High School.
 
Check back in at cspbears.com/volleyball for updates for the Golden Bears throughout the entire season.