ST. PAUL, Minn. - Top-ranked Concordia St. Paul volleyball (9-0) hits the road to kick off NSIC conference play against #3 Wayne State and Augustana. Action against the Wildcats is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Rice Auditorium in Wayne, Neb., and will conclude in Sioux Falls, S.D. on Saturday against the Vikings at 2 p.m. from the Hall Sports Forum at the Elmen Center.

BUY TICKETS ONLINE – AVOID THE LINE!
Fans are encouraged to buy tickets in advance and bring your QR code to the gates to skip the line! New for 2023, Concordia will be a cashless ticket experience for fans, so if you don't purchase ahead, make sure to bring your card to make your purchase at the gate.

Friends and families who utilize the pass list will also be utilizing the online ticketing service, while faculty & staff will access their free CSP tickets through the service. CSP students will have their all-sport season passes sent directly to their csp.edu email address.

Fans do not need to create a login, remember a username or password or download an app to purchase tickets. BUY ONLINE

WATCH ONLINE – NSIC NETWORK
All Golden Bear NSIC volleyball games will be available to watch online, free of charge, powered by the NSIC Network, and 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

All home games will feature the play-by-play broadcasting provided by Dan Flanagan, the voice of the Golden Bears for over a decade. The St. Paul, Minnesota native studied broadcasting at Fordham University (N.Y.) where he was the voice of the Rams' football and basketball teams in the NCAA Division I Patriot League.

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.

IN THE POLLS
The Golden Bears will make a solid case to remain #1 in the AVCA poll after a dominant three-set sweep over #6 St. Cloud State on Tuesday at Gangelhoff Center. CSP received 41 first-place votes in the latest rankings following an impressive showing at the Colorado Premier Challenge, where they topped then #1 West Texas A&M and #3 Wayne State in a pair of five-set thrillers to claim the Gold Bracket Championship.

TEAM LEADERS
Teagan Starkey has jumped out to an impressive start this season after claiming the Colorado Premier Challenge Most Valuable Player and the AVCA D2 Player of the Week honors. The junior setter leads the entire country in assists per set with 12.94, 1.42 ahead of Emma Berran from St. Cloud State. She has tallied 440 assists this season and a team-leading 10 service aces. 

Jasmine Mulvihill has been a vital part of the CSP attack after she was named to the Colorado Premier Challenge All-Tournament Team. She leads the Golden Bears with 116 kills this season. Her 3.41 kills per set ranks sixth in the conference, and her .318 hitting percentage is 13th in the NSIC. 

Sophia Andersen has performed well this season and has contributed to the strong offensive attack with 107 kills, which ranks second on the team. Her kills per set (3.61) and hitting percentage (3.72) rank fourth in the entire NSIC.  

LAST TIME OUT
The Golden Bears used a strong offensive attack to power past #6 St. Cloud State 3-0 in a dominant home opening victory. After the two powerhouses had 10 ties and traded the lead eight times in the opening set, Concordia took control of the remainder of the match. The Golden Bears did not trail after the first as they went on to take the match with set scores of 25-19, 25-19 and 25-20.

Starkey, the reigning AVCA D2 Player of the Week, played a pivotal role in the contest after distributing 44 assists in three sets to an attack that hit .440 with three players in double-figures.

Emma Schmidt led the Golden Bears with a .588 hitting percentage with 11 kills and just one error while adding 11 digs for a double-double. She was also perfect on the serve receive in 20 chances and a key contributor to Starkey's ability to set the attack.

Other key contributors to the offensive attack included Andersen, who added 13 kills on a .435 hitting night, and Mulvihill, who missed a double-double by just one dig with 10 kills and nine digs on the evening.

HISTORY AGAINST WSC
The two programs have met 51 times since September 16, 2000, and the Golden Bears hold a 36-15 all-time advantage. Wayne State held an early advantage in the series after claiming the first three matchups without giving up a set. However, the tide would turn after CSP claimed their first victory in 2001 in a five-set win. In 2003, Concordia went on the longest winning streak of 19 matches after falling to lose to Wayne for six years. After the Wildcats went on a three-match winning streak that carried over from last year, the Golden Bears claimed the previous matchup in the finals of the Colorado Premier Challenge last weekend in a five-set thriller.

ABOUT THE WILDCATS
Wayne State posted a 30-3 (19-1 NSIC) record a season ago and was picked to finish second in the NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll with 189 points and seven first place votes. 

The Wildcats currently possess a 7-1 record this season, with their lone blemish coming against the Golden Bears in the Colorado Premier Challenge Gold Bracket Championship.

WSC has collected a pair of top-25 wins against #19 Regis and #13 West, outscoring the two teams 6-1. 

HISTORY AGAINST AUGIE
The two programs have met 30 times since September 14, 2002, and the Golden Bears hold a 29-1 all-time advantage. The Golden Bears have dominated the series as they went on a 19-year and 27-match winning streak over the Vikings. Augustana's lone win in the series came in 2021 after they bested CSP 3-1 in Sioux Falls. However, Concordia has claimed the last two matchups, with the latter occurring in St. Paul with a 3-1 win. 

ABOUT THE VIKINGS 
Augustana posted a 20-10 (11-9 NSIC) record last season and was picked to finish seventh in the NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll with 109 points.

The Vikings hold a 3-5 record this season following a 3-1 showing at the Denton Volleyfest. 

AUGIE has notched wins against Illinois Springfield, Arkansas Monticello and Ouachita Baptist.