ST. PAUL, Minn. – The second-ranked Concordia-St. Paul volleyball team opens the season at the UP Open this week as they travel to Northern Michigan for four matches starting with Thursday afternoon's opener with Lake Superior State.
 
UP OPEN INFORMATION
The Golden Bears hit the road to the upper peninsula of Michigan to kick off the 2023 season as take on four quality opponents in Marquette, Mich.
 
In the opener, CSP will face Lake Superior State on Thursday at 3:30 p.m. for the fourth time in school history as Concordia enters with a record of 2-1 against the Lakers. LSSU claimed a four-set win in the first ever meeting back in 2001 before the Golden Bears claimed a four-set win in 2002 and a sweep in the last meeting back on Sept. 3, 2021.
 
Concordia returns to action with two matches on Friday as they take on Michigan Tech at 1 p.m. before playing the hosts, Northern Michigan, at 6 p.m. After losing the first three meetings against MTU, CSP picked up their first win over the Huskies in a sweep on their home court back on Sept. 4, 2021. The Golden Bears have gone unbeaten in four meetings with NMU, including a four-set win in the last meeting on Sept. 3, 2021.
 
CSP closes out the tournament on Saturday with a 10:30 a.m. start against Hillsdale. Concordia holds a record of 3-1 against the Chargers as they won three in a row before HC broke through with a five-set victory on Sept. 6, 2019.
 
Live stats will be available for each of the four matches with webcasts available for the first three.
 
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.
 
2022 SEASON REVIEW
Last season, the Golden Bears claimed their 12^th NCAA Central Region Championship before booking their place in the national title match for the 11^th time in program history, falling to West Texas A&M in four sets.
 
CSP came from behind twice in their dramatic NCAA Central Region Tournament run as they erased a 2-1 deficit against Nebraska-Kearney in the opening round before coming all the way back to win the final three sets in a wild five-setter with St. Cloud State in the region championship.
 
Concordia finished the season with a 31-6 mark overall and a 17-3 mark in NSIC play as they surpassed the 30-win threshold for the first time since their title-winning 2017 season and the 14^th time overall.
 
PRACTICE UPDATE
With a veteran squad that returns nine of the team's top 10 contributors from that squad, Concordia has hit the ground running so far this fall.
 
"It's gone smoothly so far," said Starkey speaking of the first few weeks of practice. "I think the girls have come in a little sharper than they have in the past and you can tell that they worked over the summer. It's an older team so we are trying to keep legs fresh heading into the season."
 
When asked how last year's experience of winning the regional and reaching title match will benefit the team heading into this year, Starkey added, "Hopefully the confidence they gained last season will carry over into this season. If you have that toughness about you, it will do you well with the kind of schedule we have."
 
NON-CONFERENCE SLATE
Concordia continues their annual tradition of facing high quality competition in the non-conference season with nine difficult matches on tap.
 
"I like to watch us battle and play tough teams to see what they are made of early in the year. Getting pushed and losing some matches here and there isn't the worst thing in the world and so far, that has worked to our advantage," said Starkey of scheduling tough.
 
Following a difficult opening week in Michigan, CSP heads west for the Colorado Premier Challenge for four more contests. They open on Friday #15 Western Washington at 3 p.m. and Ferris State at 7 p.m. Concordia will then advance to bracket play on Saturday for two more matches.
 
From there, the Golden Bears return home for one final non-conference matchup as they host #7 St. Cloud State at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 12 in the home opener.
 
On what he hopes to see from the group in non-conference play, Starkey said, "Right now, we're still trying to figure out a couple of positions. We still have some strong competition going on for a lot of positions because people have worked hard and have gotten better. So, more than anything we are just trying to figure out what our lineup is going to look like for sure, and hopefully we can pick up where we left off last year."
 
NSIC AT A GLANCE
Concordia's challenging start to season continues into the conference season as the Golden Bears hit the road for five of their first six matches, including a showdown with reigning NSIC Champions #4 Wayne State in the opener on Friday, Sept. 15.
 
In what is set to be another highly competitive season in the Northern Sun, the Golden Bears were tabbed to finish first in the NSIC Preseason Volleyball Coaches Poll. CSP received eight first place votes and tallied 190 points. The defending NSIC regular season champions of Wayne State were picked second with 189 points and had the other seven first place votes.  Minnesota Duluth was third with 165 points while defending tournament champions of St. Cloud State were fourth with 154 points.
 
"A lot of the top teams have everybody back and a lot of the teams that are up-and-coming were young last year and should be that much better this year. I think some of those teams will close the gap on some of the teams that were on the upper end of the conference, making it that much tougher this year," pointed out Starkey on the quality of the league.
 
The Golden Bears, who were picked second in the AVCA Preseason Coaches Poll, were joined by Wayne State in fourth, St. Cloud State in seventh, Minnesota Duluth in eighth and Southwest Minnesota State in 11th, giving the conference five in the top-11 slots.
 
The 2023 NSIC Volleyball Tournament will be an eight-team tournament with the quarterfinals hosted at the top four seeds on Tuesday, November 14 and the semifinals/championship matches hosted at the highest remaining seed. The semifinals/championship matches will take place on two consecutive days between Friday and Sunday, November 17-19 with the dates of competition determined by the host institution.
 
MEET THE GOLDEN BEARS
Concordia enters the year with an experienced group that features 13 returners, 11 of which are upperclassmen, to go along with a transfer and a pair of freshmen.
 
On the outside, CSP returns all three key contributors from last year's squad in the upperclassmen trio of Emma Schmidt, Makenna Berger and Sophia Andersen while sophomore Ellie Sieling and freshman Ella Christ add competition at the spot.
 
Schmidt, a 2022 AVCA All-America honorable mention pick, has been a steady presence as a six-rotation player over her first two years on campus after transferring in from Northern Iowa. The Champlin Park High School grad ranked sixth in the NSIC with 320 kills last season while her 46 service aces ranked fourth in the league and her .286 hitting percentage ranked 11^th. "Emma does everything so well for us. In terms of serve receive and defense, her calmness makes it difficult for us to ever take her off the court," said Starkey of the junior.
 
Berger came on strong down the stretch last season with all six of her starts coming in the NCAA Tournament. Over her final eight matches of the season, the Eden Prairie native averaged 2.76 kills per set while hitting .374 during that span. Starkey said of the senior, "Her athleticism at the net, whether it's hitting or blocking, makes her a great matchup against certain opponents. At times, she can take over at practice and do some really big things."
 
Andersen earned All-NSIC Second Team honors in each of her first two seasons on the court for the Golden Bears as she enters her junior year with 627 career kills, good for 2.88 per set. Last season, the New Prague native improved her efficiency as she hit .263 on her 787 attempts. Speaking of Andersen, Starkey said, "She is really good at finding ways to score. She is an aggressive attacker who has improved her defense at the net, and she's a tough competitor who wants to win."
 
Ellie Sieling, who spent her first season at Concordia as the team's starting libero, is expected to mix in a bit more as an outside hitter in year two. The sophomore finished fifth in the NSIC with 452 digs while her 44 service aces were good for sixth. "Ellie is great with ball control and serve receive as we saw last year, but she really is a good hitter as well and is intelligent and deceptively explosive offensively," said Starkey of the Bloomington Jefferson grad.
 
Christ comes to CSP after being an All-State performer for Chaska High School. On the freshman, Starkey said, "She has a heavy arm and can use the block well. For her, it will be getting up to the speed and athleticism of collegiate volleyball."
 
Over on the right side, Concordia returns two-time All-America First Teamer and 2019 AVCA DII National Freshman of the Year Jasmine Mulvihill. The Lakeville South grad has been at the heart of the Golden Bear attack in each of her first three seasons on campus as she 3.93 career kills per set are the most in program history while her 1,472 career kills rank seventh. Of the senior, Starkey said, "She is a terminal presence at the net, whether it is hitting or blocking, and she just does her job really well. She can really bail us out with quality swings from anywhere on the court."
 
At the middle blocker position, senior Katie Mattson will have a new partner in the role following the graduation of Kennedy Brady. The Golden Bears will have plenty of options in that spot as senior Jamie Guptill and juniors Aryana Forsberg and Kora Kritzberger give CSP some experienced options to go along with a pair of newcomers in junior transfer Claudia Stahlke and freshman Mehlayna Straub.
 
Mattson had a breakout 2022 season as her efforts earned her AVCA All-America honor mention recognition. The Luck, Wisconsin native registered the 16^th-most blocks in the country with 131 while her .372 hitting percentage was good for fifth in the NSIC and her 320 kills ranked 15^th. "She really finished the season on a dominant note. Defensively, she has gotten better defending the net and we're hoping she can pick up where she left off last year," said Starkey of the senior.
 
Guptill returns for a fourth season on the court for CSP as she has shown flashes in limited opportunities over her three previous seasons. Over 24 career appearances, the senior has tallied 39 kills and 19 blocks while hitting an efficient .354, including a mark of .381 last year. Of the Rush City native, Starkey pointed out, "Jamie has a lot of experience and is a quality all-around volleyball player. She could play literally any position and do pretty well."
 
Forsberg has shown her defensive capabilities over seven appearances in the last two seasons as she has tallied five blocks to go along with seven kills in those opportunities. Starkey said of the Shakopee High School grad, "She is jumping really well right now and her hitting has improved coming into the year. She does a great job with the speed of the game and defending the net."
 
After a strong start in which she hit .450 with 1.75 kills per set and 0.83 blocks per set over eight matches for CSP, Kritzberger saw her sophomore season cut short due to injury. The Ada-Borup grad will look to return to the form she showed over her first two seasons on campus this fall. "She has come back in really good shape and she looks explosive. She brings energy and enthusiasm to the gym and she is a great leader for our team," said Starkey of the junior.
 
Stahlke joins the Golden Bears after plying her trade in the Pac-12 with Arizona State over the past three seasons. The Mayer Lutheran grad was a regular in the middle for the Sun Devils as she compiled 141.0 blocks (0.90 per set) over 47 matches in her career. Speaking of the transfer, Starkey said, "She is a dominant force as a blocker and she does a really good job defending the net. Her hitting is coming along and we're worked hard to get her into our offensive flow."
 
Straub comes to St. Paul after being an All-State two-sport athlete in volleyball and track & field at Southwest Christian High School. "Mehlayna reminds me a lot of a young Katie (Mattson). She is really athletic and explosive and do some impressive things offensively, but is still learning the speed of the game as a blocker," said Starkey of the freshman from Jordan.
 
In the libero spot, three returners will be in the mix for playing time as junior Payton Stier and sophomore Cassie Sieling will battle for the role along with Ellie Sieling.
 
Stier appeared in all but one match last season, primarily as a defensive specialist, as she enters her third season with 62 career appearances under her belt. Her 38 service aces last season were good for 10^th in the NSIC, including a program record in the 25-point scoring format with seven against Upper Iowa, to go along with 173 digs on the year. Starkey said of the Lakeville South grad, "Payton continues to get better and better every year. She has always been a strong defender and she has improved on her serve receive."
 
Cassie Sieling finished her freshman campaign strong as she tallied at least four digs in 10 of her final 11 matches of the year to bring her season total to 1.47 per set. Speaking of the Bloomington Jefferson grad, Starkey said, "Cassie was starting to come into her own at the end of the season last year. She was pretty solid on serve receive throughout the year and has come in in a better place this year."
 
At the setter position, the junior duo of Teagan Starkey and Halle Bemmels will reprise their roles from last year.
 
In her first full season as the starter, Starkey delivered an AVCA All-America First Team performance as she led the nation with 1,568 assists and 12.75 assists per set while guiding the offense to a nation-leading .306 hitting percentage and 1,995 kills. Brady Starkey said of the junior, "She makes great decisions and runs a really quality offense and we hope she can defend the net a little better this year."
 
Bemmels made the most of her chances last season as she averaged 11.27 assists per set over eight matches and 15 sets. She made three starts on the year, including sweeps of Sioux Falls and Southwest Minnesota State on Sept. 16-17 to earn her NSIC Setter of the Week honors. "Her intangibles are off the charts and she is a great leader both vocally and with her work ethic. She has worked over the summer on her delivery as a setter and when she is making great decisions, our offense really flows."
 
Check back to cspbears.com throughout the season for match previews and recaps along with schedules, statistics and more.