ST. PAUL, Minn. – The #12 Concordia-St. Paul volleyball team (13-4, 8-1 NSIC) will travel to Marshall, Minnesota this weekend for a top 25 matchup at #7 Southwest Minnesota State (17-1, 8-1 NSIC) in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play. First serve is scheduled for 4 p.m. on Saturday.

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

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.

LAST TIME OUT
Concordia played a trio of NSIC matches last week, sweeping Sioux Falls on the road on Tuesday before sweeping both #21 Northern State and MSU Moorhead at the Gangelhoff Center on Friday and Saturday. Senior Teagan Starkey was named the NSIC Setter of the Week for the second consecutive week and the third time this season after leading the NSIC with an average of 13.11 assists per set.

IN THE POLLS
The Golden Bears moved up one spot to #12 in the most recent AVCA Coaches Poll after a 3-0 week last week. The Mustangs stood pat at #7 after a 3-0 week with wins over Augustana, UMary, and Minot State. Concordia has been a mainstay near the top of the poll for nearly two decades as they have only ranked outside the top 10 for six weeks since 2003, never ranking below #15. Heading into the season, the Golden Bears have ranked #1 at least once in 15 of the past 18 seasons. In total, CSP has spent an incredible 83 weeks at the top team in the country since debuting there in the 2004 preseason poll.

MILESTONE WATCH
Ellie Sieling became the 23^rd member of CSP's 1,000 career digs club over the weekend, reaching the milestone in Saturday's sweep of MSU Moorhead. Sieling joins teammate Emma Schmidt who reached the mark earlier this season.

TEAM LEADERS
Teagan Starkey was named the NSIC Setter of the Week for the second consecutive week and the third time this season after leading the Bears to a trio of wins over Sioux Falls, #21 Northern State, and MSU Moorhead last week. The senior led the conference with an average of 13.11 assists per set. For the season, Starkey leads both the conference and all of NCAA Division II with an average of 12.68 assists per set.

Middle blocker Claudia Stahlke has also been a national leader at her position, raking first in the NSIC and 11th in Division II with an average of 1.37 blocks per set. Her 85 total blocks are also the most in the conference, and the fifth-most in all of Division II. Stahlke has also been an important presence for the Golden Bear offense, leading the team with a .383 hitting percentage and ranking fourth with 142 total kills (2.29 per set).

Libero Cassie Sieling has anchored the defensive effort for the Golden Bears, ranking sixth in the conference with 267 total digs and ninth in the conference with an average of 4.31 per set.

Sophia Andersen continues to pace the Golden Bear offense, ranking sixth in the NSIC with an average of 3.19 kills per set. Her 182 total kills lead the team while her hitting percentage of .249 ranks fourth among Golden Bears with at least 100 attacks.

Mehlayna Straub ranks second on the team with 155 kills this season (2.54 per set) on a .268 hitting percentage.

Ellie Sieling has been an effective two-way player for the Bears, ranking second on the team with 175 digs (2.82 per set) and adding 128 kills (2.06 per set).  Makenna Nold ranks third on the team with 155 kills this season (2.77 per set), also adding 50 digs on the defensive end.

HISTORY AGAINST SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA STATE
The Golden Bears hold a 43-13 advantage in the series all-time against the Mustangs, including a mark of 15-5 in Marshall. Concordia has won the last four meetings between the teams in a streak that dates back to 2022. In their two meetings last season, CSP won the first matchup in four sets at home in October before sweeping the Mustangs in Marshall in the regular season finale in November.

ABOUT THE MUSTANGS
Ranking #7 in the most recent AVCA Coaches Poll, the Mustangs have posted a record of 17-1 with an 8-1 mark in conference play this season. SMSU's lone loss came in a road matchup at St. Cloud State on October 5, where they fell to the Huskies in straight sets.

The matchup will feature a pair of top five setters in the country as SMSU's Sydney Thein ranks second in the conference and fifth in all of Division II with an average of 11.92 assists per set.

Libero McKenzie Tolk ranks second in the conference and 15^th in Division II with 343 total digs this season.