ST. PAUL, Minn. – The #9 Concordia-St. Paul volleyball team (16-4, 11-1 NSIC) will return to the friendly confines of the Gangelhoff Center for a pair of conference bouts this week, hosting Augustana (S.D) (10-13, 6-7 NSIC) on Thursday at 6 p.m. and #11 Wayne State (Neb.) (19-4, 11-2 NSIC) on Saturday at 2 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 a pair of conference matches last week, topping Minnesota State 3-1 at the Gangelhoff Center on Thursday and claiming a five-set win over Winona State on the road on Saturday. With the wins, the Golden Bears improved their conference record to 11-1 and extended their winning streak to 10 matches.

IN THE POLLS
The Golden Bears re-entered the top ten in the most recent AVCA Coaches Poll, jumping two spots to #9 after a 2-0 week with wins over Minnesota State and Winona State. Wayne State fell four spots to #11 after a 2-1 week with wins over Peru State and Sioux Falls and a loss to #12 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
Setter Teagan Starkey remains atop the national leaderboard after another 2-0 week for the Golden Bears, leading all of Division II with an average of 12.59 assists per set this season. Her 957 total assists lead the NSIC and rank third in all of Division II. The senior also ranks fourth on the team with 163 total digs.

Middle blocker Claudia Stahlke also ranks highly in Division II among those at her position, leading the conference and sitting ninth in the country with 101 total blocks. Her average of 1.33 blocks per set also leads the NSIC and is 12^th in Division II. Stahlke has also contributed on offense, ranking fourth in the team with 168 kills this season. Makenna Nold ranks second on the team with 59 total blocks while adding 188 kills.

Libero Cassie Sieling leads the Golden Bear defense, ranking eighth in the conference with an average of 4.25 digs per set. Her 323 total digs lead the team and are also eighth in the NSIC. The junior has reached double figures in digs 18 times this season, recording 20-plus digs on six occasions.

Sophia Andersen has been Concordia's top offensive threat, leading the team with 233 kills (3.28 per set). Her hitting percentage of .251 ranks third on the team among those with at least 100 attacks.

Mehlayna Straub ranks second on the team with 190 kills this season (2.53 per set) on a .272 hitting percentage. The sophomore has also made an impact for the Golden Bear defense, ranking third on the team with 40.0 total blocks.

Ellie Sieling has been an effective two-way player for the Bears, ranking second on the team with 206 digs (2.71 per set) and adding 129 kills (1.70 per set).  Makenna Nold ranks third on the team with 188 kills this season (2.69 per set), also adding 62 digs on the defensive end.

Emma Schmidt has also contributed on both offense and defense, ranking fifth on the team with 157 kills and third with 178 digs.

HISTORY AGAINST AUGUSTANA
The Golden Bears hold a 30-1 advantage in the all-time series against the Vikings, with the only blemish coming in a four-set loss in the 2021 NSIC Tournament. Concordia has won three straight over Augustana since then, including a sweep of the Vikings last season in Sioux Falls.

ABOUT THE VIKINGS
The Vikings have posted an overall record of 10-12 this season, including a 6-7 mark in conference play. In six matches against ranked opponents this season, Augustana is 0-6 with losses to #4 Southwest Minnesota State, #22 Northern State, #7 Southwest Minnesota State. #5 St. Cloud State, #20 Minnesota Duluth, and #8 Wayne State.

As a team, the Vikings lead the NSIC in a pair of statistical categories with 204.5 total blocks and 149 service aces. Setter Lucy Bartee ranks third in the conference and 17^th in Division II with

HISTORY AGAINST WAYNE STATE
In the 53-match series against the Wildcats, the Golden Bears hold a 36-17 edge overall, including a mark of 19-10 at the Gangelhoff Center. Wayne State has held the advantage in recent years, winning seven of the last 10 matchups. The teams met three times last season, with Concordia winning in five sets on a neutral court in September and Wayne State claiming a sweep at home later that month and winning in four sets at the Gangelhoff Center in the NCAA Central Region Tournament in December.

ABOUT THE WILDCATS
The Wildcats enter the week with an overall record of 19-4 and an 11-2 mark in NSIC play. Ranked 11^th in the most recent AVCA Coaches Poll, the Wildcats have gone 2-3 in matchups with ranked opponents this season with wins over #24 Regis and #20 Minnesota Duluth and losses to #13 Chaminade, #5 St. Cloud State, and #12 Southwest Minnesota State.

The Wayne State offense has been one of the most efficient in the nation this season, ranking second in the conference and seventh in all of Division II with a .280 team hitting percentage. The Wildcats have also been effective on defense, leading the NSIC and ranking 11^th in Division II with an average of 2.56 blocks per set.