ST. PAUL, Minn. – The #5 Concordia-St. Paul volleyball team opens up the 2019 slate this weekend as they travel south to Florida for the Terrace Hotel Classic. The Golden Bears are set for two matches on Friday at Florida Southern and two on Saturday at Tampa.
 
TOURNAMENT INFORMATION
For the second time in three seasons, the Golden Bears will make the trek to the Sunshine State to open the season as they head to the Terrace Hotel Classic, co-hosted by Florida Southern and Tampa.
 
CSP kicks things off in Lakeland, Fla. as they take on Hillsdale on Friday at 10 a.m. before facing the hosts, Florida Southern, at 2 p.m. The Golden Bears move over to Tampa, Fla. on Saturday with a 10 a.m. meeting with Valdosta State before concluding play in the tournament with a 6:30 p.m. contest against top-ranked Tampa.
 
Three of the opponents in the tournament are familiar foes as CSP has faced Tampa 14 previous times, Florida Southern six previous times and Hillsdale three previous times.
 
Against the Spartans, the Golden Bears hold a 10-4 edge heading into this year. Amazingly, five of those meetings have come in the NCAA Tournament with Concordia winning four of five, including the 2010 and 2012 National Championship matches. CSP won the last meeting with a five-set victory in Tampa on Sept. 2, 2017.
 
Tampa is not the only weekend opponent that the Golden Bears have faced in a title match as Concordia swept Florida Southern in the 2017 National Championship match. That victory moved CSP to 6-0 in the all-time series against the Mocs with the Golden Bears winning in straight sets in five of the six.
 
Concordia has also had success against Hillsdale as they have picked up wins in all three meetings against the Chargers. The two schools met in the season opener last year as well with the Golden Bears claiming a four-set victory.
 
CSP's meeting with Valdosta State on Saturday will be the first ever meeting between the two schools.
 
PRACTICE UPDATE
Following a 2018 season in which the Golden Bears reached the NCAA Central Region Championship match for the fourth year in a row and 16th time in the past 17 years, they will have a new look in 2019. While the 2018 team was an experienced bunch with four seniors and a pair of juniors in the regular rotation, the 2019 team will feature a lot of new faces with six freshmen and a pair of sophomores in the mix.
 
"It's been fun to have some new blood in the gym," said Starkey of the practice environment. He added, "We get to do a little more teaching and coaching which for us on a coaching level is a fun thing to have. We miss some of the ball control attributes and experience of the past few years, but overall it seems to be a more competitive environment with so many new kids here. Out of all the classes we've had here, this is probably the most terminal group, with kids that can get up and finish plays."
 
While the freshman class has provided a spark on the court in the early weeks of practice, the returners have played a key role in providing stability and creating team chemistry with so many new faces. Starkey said, "The upperclassmen have been good in terms of leadership. We have a couple kids that are pretty boisterous in the gym as well as some that are really good at leading by example which has been good for us. They have done a great job so far."
 
SCHEDULE AT A GLACE
Following the season-opening trip to the Terrace Hotel Classic, the Golden Bears will make their annual trip west for the Colorado Premier Challenge on Sept. 13-14. CSP will make it three straight matches against ranked opponents as their first two in Denver are against #24 West Florida and #12 Ferris State. The Golden Bears will then move to bracket play on Saturday with a pair of matches against two more teams in the tournament field.
 
When asked about what he hopes to see in the team's eight-match non-conference slate, Starkey said, "We're going to have to see who is stepping up in certain positions on the court. We're going to have a new setter which always a difficult transition. We will also have a new six-rotation outside and new ball control which is also a big deal. We're just looking to see what it all might look like later in the season. We're expecting anything and hoping for the best with this many new kids."
 
Conference play opens the following weekend as the Golden Bears head out the road at Minnesota Crookston on Friday, Sept. 20 and Bemidji State on Saturday, Sept. 21. CSP then returns home for their home opening weekend on Sept. 27-28 with #6 Minnesota Duluth and St. Cloud State coming to town. The 20-match NSIC schedule will conclude on Nov. 16 with the conference tournament scheduled for Nov. 20-24.
 
The NSIC once again appears to be one of the top conferences in the nation as CSP was one of four NSIC schools to earn a spot in the top-10 of the AVCA Preseason Coaches Poll. The Golden Bears were picked fifth while Minnesota Duluth was picked sixth, Northern State was picked eighth and Southwest Minnesota State was picked ninth. Wayne State and Sioux Falls also received votes in the poll. "It's fun because you have a lot of good matches," said Starkey about playing in the NSIC. He added, "You know that every game you have you're going to have to come ready to play." In total, the Golden Bears' schedule features seven matches against nationally ranked opponents as well as five more against teams receiving votes.
 
MEET THE GOLDEN BEARS
Following the graduation of four key players from last year's squad, competition for playing time is expected to be a fascinating storyline early in the season. The quality mix of veterans and newcomers give the Golden Bears multiple options nearly everywhere on the court.
 
One of the more interesting battles in fall practice has been for the setter position. Sophomore Payton Nutter and redshirt freshman Ellie Veldman both find themselves in the mix for playing time heading into the year. Starkey said of the duo, "They both set a good ball and both have their own unique strengths as setters. Peyton has been in our system for a while and understands the offense we are trying to run while Ellie's size makes her a significant block in the front row. Both will get some time to showcase what they can do."
 
Nutter got her first taste of action with the Golden Bears last year as she appeared in 21 matches as a redshirt freshman, picking up 25 digs and nine service aces. Veldman spent her first season at CSP on the sidelines with an injury as she redshirted after transferring in from Division I North Dakota.
 
While the roster features depth across the board, perhaps the deepest position group is the hitters. "We have depth hitting-wise that we haven't had in a long time," said Starkey. "We have some kids that can get up and hit it. They've shown they are capable of both hitting through the block and over the block when everything lines up."
 
The most experienced position up front comes in the middle as Concordia returns both of their starting middle blockers.
 
Sara Macek is coming off an incredible junior season in which she earned AVCA All-America First Team honors while finishing 11^th in the nation with a .388 hitting percentage. She tallied 3.14 kills per set in addition to a team-best 0.74 blocks per set.
 
Kennedy Brady stepped into the starting lineup midway through the season and finished with a solid .354 hitting percentage to go along with 2.26 kills per set. She saved her best for last as she helped guide CSP to the region title match with a 27-kill performance in the region semifinals against Harding.
 
Speaking of the two returners in the middle, Starkey said, "With Sarah being such a dominant middle and Kennedy showing what she is capable of doing during tournament time, it'll be great to have those two back."
 
The Golden Bears have some solid support at the position behind the starters as sophomore Leah Damerow and the freshmen duo of Jamie Guptill and Evie Harrington will also be in the mix for playing time.
 
Damerow stepped in late last season showed some flashes as she made a pair of starts in the region tourney. Guptill, a two-time All-State pick, joins from Rush City High School while Harrington starred at St. Michael-Albertville High School. Starkey added of the trio, "With Leah along with the pair of freshman, it's a good competitive mix where we have a lot of quality depth at the position."
 
Guptill and Damerow will also be in the mix on the right side along with another pair of freshmen Katie Mattson and Jasmine Mulvihill. Mattson was an All-State performer at Luck High School in Wisconsin while Mulvihill helped Lakeville South High School to back-to-back MSHSL State Tournament appearances.
 
On the other side, Concordia has a pair of returners headlining a deep group of outside hitters. Erin Fallert and Sydney Book are joined Mattson, Mulvihill and fellow freshman Makenna Berger.
 
After spending her freshman campaign as a defensive specialist for CSP, Fallert moved into a six-rotation role last year before missing time due to injury late in the season. Her 3.10 digs per set ranked third on the team in 2018 while she also chipped in 1.78 kills per set. "Erin being healthy is a big deal. Her ability to handle the ball is such an important piece for us," said Starkey of the junior.
 
Last season, Book moved over to the outside after starting the year in the middle and tallied 2.30 kills per set in 25 matches on the year. Speaking of Book, Starkey said, "Sydney is getting her strength back and is showing signs of getting back to her old, dynamic self."
 
Berger, an Eden Prairie High School grad, got some exposure to the program this spring as an early enrollee after a strong prep career for the Eagles.
 
Defensively, junior Tori Hanson will return to the libero role after being named All-NSIC Second Team last season. The Delano native racked up 4.47 digs per set, good for seventh in the NSIC, while also ranked 10^th with 0.36 aces per set. "Tori is back running the show in the back, solidifying our ball control and defense," said Starkey. He added, "Her and Erin will be really difficult to take off the court because they do so much for us in the back court."
 
Freshman Riley Decker, a scrappy libero from Morris Area High School, is also expected to play a role in the back row along with Fallert and Berger.
 
For pre and postgame updates along with coverage of the team, please visit cspbears.com to follow along throughout the season.