ST. PAUL, Minn. – The sixth-ranked Concordia-St. Paul volleyball team gets the 2022 season underway on their home court this week as they host the Concordia-St. Paul Volleyball Tournament on Friday and Saturday.
 
TOURNAMENT INFORMATION
For the first time since the 2016 season, the Golden Bears open the season on their home court as Winona State, Seattle Pacific, Ashland, Drury and Oklahoma Baptist converge on Gangelhoff Center.
 
The tournament will be broken up into four sessions with Winona State and Seattle Pacific kicking things off at 10:30 a.m. on Friday before CSP takes on Ashland at 12:30 p.m. in the early session. In the night session, WSU will face Ashland at 5 p.m. and CSP will host Seattle Pacific at 7 p.m.
 
The early session on Saturday features Winona State and Drury at 9:30 a.m. and Concordia and Oklahoma Baptist at 11:30 a.m. The tournament concludes in the Saturday night session with the Golden Bears facing Drury at 4 p.m. and WSU taking on OBU at 6 p.m.
 
BUY TICKETS TO HOME GAMES ONLINE
Fans are encouraged to buy tickets in advance and bring your QR code to the gates to skip the line! Friends and families who utilize the pass list will also be utilizing the online ticketing service while all students, faculty & staff will access their free CSP tickets through the service. Fans do not need to create a login, remember a username or password or download an app to purchase tickets, and tickets can still be purchased with cash at the gates. Find out more in the partnership announcement between CSP Athletics and HomeTown Ticketing.
 
WATCH ONLINE – NSIC NETWORK
All Golden Bear NSIC volleyball matches will be available to watch online, free of charge, powered by the NSIC Network, supported by BlueFrame Technology. Visit nsicnetwork.com/cspbears on a laptop or desktop computer, download the NSIC Network app on your mobile device or watch on your supported OTT provider such as Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Android TV. Search "NSIC Network" and download the app for the league's full sport and team lineups. NSIC NETWORK FAQ
 
DOWNLOAD THE APP
Fans can download the CSP Bears fan app, free of charge and available in the App Store or on Google Play. The app contains rosters, schedules, scores, stats, news, social media and more! Customize your options to get notifications to your favorite teams, as well. Search "CSP Bears" in the app store to stay up-to-date on Golden Bear athletics.
 
PRACTICE UPDATE
With 2022 being a DII Festival year in which the NCAA conducts a "National Championships Festival," an Olympic-style event in which a number of national championships are held at a single site over several days, the Golden Bears have gotten things started a bit earlier this season. With the early start, having a veteran group of players has helped the team prepare for the start of the season. Head coach Brady Starkey said of the team's practices so far, "It's been good. From a playing perspective, we are coming in at a better spot than we have in a while because I can tell our girls got in the gym and played a lot of volleyball this summer."
 
While having the veteran presence has been valuable, Starkey commented on the impact of having some new faces in the gym. "When you have so many kids that have been here for a while, complacency can kick in, so it's nice having some fresh blood in the gym. It forces people to up their game a little bit to step up to the challenge of added competition," he added.
 
With four-year starting libero Tori Hanson having graduated following the 2021 season, some new faces have stepped up in leadership positions this fall. Starkey said, "We have a lot of strong personalities on the team. They are getting after each other a little bit, in a fun way, which has upped our level and has kept the intensity high."
 
NON-CONFERENCE SLATE
In the season's opening weekend, CSP will face some tough competition with regionally competitive programs making the trip to St. Paul. Starkey said, "It will be great not having to travel to start the season. We have some quality opponents coming here, so it will be great to be able to see where we are at on our home court in our home gym without having to go through the rigors of getting on a plane, flying somewhere and playing."
 
The Golden Bears will be tested again the following weekend with their annual trip to the Colorado Premier Challenge. CSP will take on a pair of top-25 opponents on day one in Denver, Colo. as they face #21 Lewis at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 2 and #3 Western Washington at 7 p.m. CSP will then advance to bracket play on Saturday for two more matches.
 
"[The Colorado Premier Challenge] has been a blessing for us to have on the schedule every year. It's always high level teams and fits with our philosophy of scheduling as difficult as we can for the first two weeks so we can get tougher and try to get better for conference play," said Starkey.
 
NSIC PREVIEW
Following a challenging eight matches in non-conference play, the Golden Bears will need to hit the ground running in NSIC action as they face two top-25 teams in their first four matches and four schools picked in the top-seven in the conference in their first five. It doesn't get much easier from there as the conference once again projects to be one of the top DII conferences in the nation with five schools ranked inside the top-25.
 
Starkey said of the league, "It's ridiculous the level of competition in the league. You truly don't ever have a night where you can breathe. It's also a good thing, though, because you know you will have to be at your best every night. If you don't show up, you'll get beat. That level of competition is fun."
 
In a league filled with top competition, CSP was tabbed as the top squad in the NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll. Concordia picked up nine first place votes and 217 total points in the poll, edging out the 2021 NSIC regular season and tournament champions, St. Cloud State with six first place votes and 213 points.
 
MEET THE GOLDEN BEARS
Concordia is set to feature an experienced roster as 11 of the team's 17 players are beginning at least their third season on campus. The group is highlighted by seven upperclassmen, including the team's lone senior, Kennedy Brady, to go along with eight sophomores and two freshmen.
 
One of the most experienced groups on the roster is CSP's outside hitters. Junior Jasmine Mulvihill and sophomores Emma Schmidt and Sophia Andersen were all regular starters last year while Makenna Berger has been a key contributor in the back row the past few seasons and Katie Mattson has played a crucial role splitting time between the middle and the outside. Joining the group this season is freshman Ellie Sieling.
 
Mulvihill moves into her third season of competition after earning NCAA Freshman of the Year honors in 2019 and All-America honorable mention honors in 2021. Currently the program's all-time leader in career kills per set (3.96) and points per set (4.63) has led the team in kills in each of her first two seasons, hitting a combined .270 over 2300 attempts. "Jasmine has been a staple on the right side for us," said Starkey. "We will continue rely on her to carry a heavy load for us as she can swing out of the front row and the back and does a good job putting up a healthy block."
 
Schmidt, an NCAA Central Region All-Tournament Team pick in 2021 in her first year of action after transferring from Northern Iowa, will once again be counted on as an all-around performer after ranking second on the team with 2.64 digs per set and third with 2.68 kills per set while also pacing the squad with 952 serve receptions. Starkey said of the sophomore, "Emma is a six-rotation outside that solidifies our ball control. She's hard to take off the court with her ability to defend and serve receive well."
 
Andersen earned All-NSIC Second Team honors in her first season of action with the Golden Bears last year and will be counted on to provide an offensive threat again this season. Her 324 total kills (2.87 per set) last season were good for 13th in the conference and second on the team as she reached double figures in kills 14 times over the course of the season. Speaking of the New Prague native, Starkey said, "Sophia is a streaky hitter who can really get hot and score a lot of points. When she gets going, she's a really difficult player to defend. For her, it's about getting to a point where that's who she is all the time."
 
Along with Schmidt, Makenna Berger is another player that can fill a role all the way around as a six-rotation player. During her first two years of competition, she has been a steady contributor defensively with 392 career digs over 50 matches, good for 2.25 per set. "She can handle well and is an explosive player who plays really high above the net," said Starkey. He added, "She has come into the season ready to go and will push for time on the outside."
 
Ellie Sieling is the new addition to the mix as she joins from Bloomington Jefferson High School after a highly productive high school career. Speaking of the first year hitter, Starkey pointed out, "She is a very skilled back row player and a very intelligent hitter for a freshman. She understands the game and has come in and done a great job competing right away."
 
Mattson, who earned NCAA Central Region All-Tournament Team honors a year ago, will provide CSP with some versatility as she can fill a role either on the right side or in the middle. She played a key role in her 24 starts last season as she finished third on the team with 68 total blocks and 0.89 blocks per set while her .279 hitting percentage was second-best on the squad. Starkey said, "She really came on strong in the postseason last year and people got a glimpse of how good she can be. She's a dynamic player that can play way above the net."
 
At the setter position, the sophomore duo of Teagan Starkey and Halle Bemmels are set to compete for time in the role.
 
Starkey stepped in and immediately filled a role splitting time with Ellie Veldman at the position last year. Her 7.13 assists per set (499 total assists) were good for second on the team as she tallied at least a dozen assists 21 times and surpassed 25 or more nine times on the year. "She understands the game very well and understands who to set. We hope to see her continue to improve her defense to add another element to her game this season," said Starkey.
 
Bemmels, a two-sport athlete who also plays on the softball team, got her feet wet with five appearances last year as a freshman. On Bemmels, Starkey pointed out, "Halle has come in this fall and has really played well. She's pushing us to think about different options because she's a really good volleyball player, a good decision maker and a leader on our team."
 
In the middle, Mattson is joined by senior Kennedy Brady, juniors Jamie Guptill and Evie Harrington as well as sophomores Kora Kritzberger and Aryana Forsberg.
 
Brady has been a mainstay in the Concordia lineup since 2018 as she enters her senior campaign with 90 appearances under her belt. The 2021 All-NSIC Second Team selection is coming off statistically her best season in which she collected 2.30 kills per set while hitting a team-best .325 to go along with 1.02 blocks per set, good for seventh in the NSIC. "Kennedy is somebody with a lot of experience. She's an intelligent volleyball player and when she gets hot, she can really get going," said Starkey.
 
Guptill enters her fourth year in navy and gold and will look to step into a bigger role after missing time due to injury over the past several seasons. In limited action last season, she hit an impressive .429 with 17 kills on 35 attempts over eight matches. Starkey said of the junior, "She's a big block who does a ton of really good things. Her high level is a very high level."
 
Kritzberger jumped onto the scene last year, making 21 appearances and 11 starts, as she picked up a team-best 1.04 blocks per set to go along with 1.48 kills per set for the season. "She has a huge motor and is going her hardest 100% of the time. She can have flashes of brilliance and she's a fiery kid that can bring an instant energy to the team," said Starkey.
 
Harrington has made seven career appearances heading into the 2022 season and will look to be in the mix for playing time this year. In those seven appearances (nine sets), she has collected six kills with a .385 hitting percentage. Starkey said, "Evie is a live arm that scores a lot in practice. She is working on defending the net and becoming a better blocker for us."
 
Forsberg made her CSP debut last season as she picked up four blocks (0.80 per set) over four matches on the season. "She is a dynamic blocker who is really quick from pin to pin. She can get up and over the net and get blocks in bunches. If she keeps developing in her hitting game, she is someone who can fill a role for us," said Starkey.
 
At the libero position, it will be a young group fighting for playing time as Payton Stier, Riley Decker, Abby Stark and Cassie Sieling are all in the mix.
 
Stier has seen perhaps the most game time at the collegiate level as she made 26 appearances and collected 100 digs as well as 15 service aces in a defensive specialist role last year. "She is a really high level defender who also has a tough serve. Her serve receive has improved a lot and she brings a ton of energy to the gym," pointed out Starkey.
 
Decker, heading into her fourth year as a Golden Bear, has also earned playing time in previous years as she enters the season with 74 career digs and 13 career service aces over 28 matches. Speaking of Decker, Starkey said, "Riley has done a ton in the weight room this summer and has worked super hard. She competes every day and has developed a great serve that has been giving our team fits every day at practice."
 
Stark joins CSP after a season at Division I North Dakota State in which she filled a role as a defensive specialist. She collected 111 digs and 18 aces in her 25 matches, making three starts. "She is a talented defender that can dig a lot of balls. She also brings a tough serve that scores a lot of points at practice," said Starkey of the transfer.
 
Freshman Cassie Sieling, the twin sister of Ellie, enters her first season on campus after being an All-State First Team performer during her time at Bloomington Jefferson High School. "Cassie is a really, really strong serve receiving kid. She has a good nose for the ball and plays great defense. We're looking forward to seeing what she can do at the position," said Starkey.
 
Check back to cspbears.com throughout the season for match previews and recaps along with schedules, statistics and more.