ST. PAUL, Minn. – The #11 Concordia-St. Paul volleyball team (14-4, 9-1 NSIC) will gear up for a pair of Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference matches this week, hosting Minnesota State (13-5, 5-5 NSIC) on Thursday at 6 p.m. and travelling to Winona, Minn. to take on Winona State (13-8, 6-4 NSIC) on Saturday at 4 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 a credit card at the gate.

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 just one match last week, claiming a five-set win over #7 Southwest Minnesota State on Saturday.  Senior Teagan Starkey was named the NSIC Setter of the Week for the third consecutive week and the fourth time this season after leading the NSIC with an average of 12.60 assists per set in the victory.

IN THE POLLS
The Golden Bears moved up one spot to #11 in the most recent AVCA Coaches Poll after a 1-0 week with a win over #7 Southwest Minnesota 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 seven 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.

TEAM LEADERS
Teagan Starkey was named the NSIC Setter of the Week for the third consecutive week and the fourth time this season after helping lead the Bears to a five-set win over #7 Southwest Minnesota State on Saturday. The senior led the conference with an average of 12.60 assists per set. For the season, Starkey leads both the conference and all of NCAA Division II with an average of 12.67 assists per set.

Middle blocker Claudia Stahlke continues to be a national leader at her position, leading the conference and ranking eighth in all of NCAA Division II with 1.37 blocks per set this season. Her 92 total blocks also top the NSIC ranks and are eighth-most in the country. Makenna Nold ranks second on the team with 52 total blocks while adding 161 kills.

Libero Cassie Sieling has anchored the defensive effort for the Golden Bears, ranking sixth in the conference with 291 total digs and ninth in the conference with an average of 4.34 digs per set.

Sophia Andersen continues to pace the Golden Bear offense, ranking fifth in the NSIC with an average of 3.21 kills per set. Her 186 total kills lead the team while her hitting percentage of .244 ranks fourth among Golden Bears with at least 100 attacks.

Mehlayna Straub ranks second on the team with 168 kills this season (1.91 per set) on a .271 hitting percentage. The sophomore has also made an impact for the Golden Bear defense, ranking third on the team with 37.0 total blocks.

Ellie Sieling has been an effective two-way player for the Bears, ranking second on the team with 189 digs (2.82 per set) and adding 128 kills (2.06 per set).  Makenna Nold ranks third on the team with 161 kills this season (2.64 per set), also adding 53 digs on the defensive end.

Emma Schmidt has also contributed on both offense and defense, ranking fifth on the team with 133 kills and third with 153 digs.

HISTORY AGAINST MINNESOTA STATE
The Golden Bears hold a 35-3 advantage in the series all-time against the Mavericks, including a perfect record of 15-0 at the Gangelhoff Center. Concordia has won the last 17 meetings between the two teams with its last loss to Minnesota State coming on September 16, 2014. In their lone meeting last season, CSP swept the Mavericks in Mankato on September 21.

ABOUT THE MAVERICKS
The Mavericks have posted a record of 13-5 to this point in the season, going 5-5 in NSIC play. MSU has faced four ranked teams so far, falling to #12 St. Cloud State, #22 Northern State, and #8 Wayne State and beating #20 Minnesota Duluth.

HISTORY AGAINST WINONA STATE
The Golden Bears boast a 37-5 record vs. Winona State all-time, including a 13-4 advantage in matches in Winona. The two teams met earlier this season in September, with the Golden Bears winning in four sets at the Gangelhoff Center. Mehlayna Straub had 18 kills on .389 hitting in the win while Ellie Sieling finished with 21 digs and 10 kills and Teagan Starkey added 51 set assists and 10 digs.

ABOUT THE WARRIORS
The Warriors enter the week with an overall record of 13-8 and a 6-4 mark in conference play. WSU has faced off with five ranked opponents this year, topping #11 Minnesota Duluth, #21 Northern State, and #7 Southwest Minnesota State and falling to #9 CSP and #6 Wayne State. Libero Kylie Welch has been one of the top players in the country at her position, leading the conference and ranking seventh in all of Division II with 406 total digs this season.