ST. PAUL, Minn. – The fifth-ranked Concordia-St. Paul volleyball team opens the season this weekend as they travel to Golden, Colorado for the Oredigger Volleyball Classic on the campus of Colorado School of Mines.
 
OREDIGGER VOLLEYBALL CLASSIC INFORMATION
The Golden Bears will make their first of two trips to Colorado as they are set for four matches over two days in Golden, Colorado. The following weekend, CSP heads to Denver for the Colorado Premier Challenge.
 
On Friday, CSP opens the season against Missouri Western at 2 p.m. before taking on #17 Colorado Mesa at 7 p.m. The Golden Bears picked up a four-set win over MWSU back in 2017 in the lone meeting between the two schools while they have gone 2-0 against CMU, including a four-setter in the most recent meeting in 2014.
 
Concordia resumes action on Saturday with an 11 a.m. start against Regis before wrapping up the weekend against Gannon at 4 p.m. CSP has gone a perfect 8-0 against the Rangers, grabbing a four-set victory in the last meeting in 2019 and they lost the only previous meeting with Gannon in five sets all the way back in 1999.
 
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.
 
2023 SEASON REVIEW
Last season, Concordia reached the NCAA Central Region Championship match for the 19^th time in the past 20 years after winning the NSIC Tournament for the seventh time, earning the top seed and hosting the regional.
 
Concordia's 30-3 record marked their highest winning percentage since their 2017 National Championship season as they went unbeaten in non-conference play and lost just two matches in the NSIC action before falling to Wayne State in the region title.
 
The Golden Bears had five players earn AVCA All-America honors to match their largest total since their undefeated 2009 season as Teagan Starkey, Jasmine Mulvihill, Emma Schmidt, Sophia Andersen and Katie Mattson all garnered recognition.
 
PRACTICE UPDATE
With lineup stalwarts Mulvihill and Mattson as well as All-NSIC Second Team pick Jamie Guptill graduating, the Golden Bears enter the fall with some new faces on the roster.
 
Head coach Brady Starkey said about the first few weeks of practice, "We've got a few new kids that we are trying to get up to speed and have been paying a lot of attention to them, and with our returners we're trying to manage their reps early on. We're still trying to solidify our lineup and still have competition for spots." Speaking of the freshman class, Starkey added, "Our freshmen haven't acted like freshmen so far. They've had their moments, but they don't really get bent out of shape and that's a big deal. They have come in and competed right from the get-go."
 
Looking at the construction of this season's roster, Starkey pointed out, "One of our strengths this year is our ball control and serve receive. We will have to translate some of that into digs so that we can find ways to grind out points."
 
 
NON-CONFERENCE SLATE
Following their season-opening trip to the Oredigger Volleyball Classic, the Golden Bears will make a return journey to Colorado for the Colorado Premier Challenge the following weekend. Once again, CSP is set to face off against some of the top programs in the nation in that competition as they face #14 Lewis and #19 Seattle Pacific on day one before playing two more matches in bracket play on day two.
 
When asked about what he wanted to see from the team in their challenging eight-match non-conference schedule, Starkey said, "We want to use these matches to figure out a lineup that can be competitive in our conference. We're not going to get too caught up in what happens the first few weekends because it's not something that is going to define the season, but it's going to be a barometer of where we are at and where we need to go."
 
NSIC AT A GLANCE
The competition doesn't get any easier from there as Concordia opens conference play with a pair of road matches against ranked opponents, facing #16 Minnesota Duluth on Sept. 21 and #10 St. Cloud State on Sept. 24. In total, five of the 15 NSIC schools start the season ranked inside the top-25 in the nation.
 
"With more teams in the middle of the pack are moving up and closing the gap, anybody can beat anybody. Parity keeps increasing every year," said Starkey of the quality of the league.
 
The NSIC Tournament Champion Golden Bears earned 178 points in the poll, trailing only NSIC Regular Season Champions Wayne State, who were picked first with 194 points. St. Cloud State, Southwest Minnesota State and Minnesota Duluth round out the top-five.
 
The NSIC regular season champion will be determined by the 18-game conference schedule. The 2024 NSIC Volleyball Tournament shall be an eight-team tournament with the quarterfinals hosted at the top four seeds on Tuesday, November 19 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 22-24 with the dates of competition determined by the host institution.
 
MEET THE GOLDEN BEARS
The 2024 roster will feature a good mix of nine returners, including six seniors, a pair of juniors and a sophomore, as well as four newcomers.
 
On the outside, CSP returns a pair of seniors in Emma Schmidt and Sophia Andersen and junior Ellie Sieling with freshmen Logan Koepke and Makenna Nold joining the mix.
 
Schmidt earned AVCA All-America honors for the second year in a row, earning Third Team recognition after leading the team with 3.55 digs per set to go along with 2.73 kills per set. On the Maple Grove, Minnesota native, Starkey said, "Emma solidifies our ball control and defense while also being a terminator and a calming presence on the court for us."
 
Andersen grabbed AVCA All-America honorable mention honors last season after a strong campaign in which her 3.40 kills per set ranked second on the squad among regular starters while she hit an efficient .310 on the year. "Sophia is one of our terminators that we will rely heavily on. She is somebody who could put herself in the running to play all the way around as her defense is strong and she can take swings out of the back row," said Starkey of the New Prague, Minnesota native.
 
After spending much of the last two seasons as the regular libero for the Golden Bears, Ellie Sieling finds herself in the mix for an outside hitter spot this year. Last year, she finished second on the team with 3.22 digs per set while chipping in 35 service aces (0.30 per set), also good for second at CSP. Starkey said of the versatile junior, "Ellie is healthy this year and is jumping well this fall. It will be interesting to see if she solidifies herself somewhere in the front row and take on a six-rotation role for us."
 
An All-State performer at Caledonia High School, Koepke enters her first season in navy and gold. "Logan has a lot of potential to be a six-rotation player and has shown she can pass incredibly well and play great defense," said Starkey on the newcomer.
 
Nold joins the Golden Bears after a decorated high school career of her own, twice being named All-State at Jamestown High School. Speaking of the North Dakota native, Starkey said, "Makenna is a terminal kid who can really get up and hit. She's catching up to the speed of the game and she has shown she can pick it up quick."
 
In the middle, the returning trio of seniors Claudia Stahlke and Aryana Forsberg and sophomore Mehlayna Straub will be tasked with replacing the outgoing duo of Katie Mattson and Jamie Guptill.
 
Stahlke made 13 appearances, including seven starts last season after joining from Arizona State and immediately showed her blocking prowess as she paced the squad with 1.28 blocks per set, including a massive 11 block effort at Northern State. "Claudia the best blocker in our gym and we are going to rely heavily on that. She has also improved her offense quite a bit this year," said Starkey of the Mayer Lutheran High School grad.
 
Forsberg gives the Golden Bears another experienced option as she begins her fourth season with the program. During her time, she has collected nine kills and six blocks over nine sets played. Starkey said of the Shakopee, Minnesota native, "Aryana has been in our program for a long time and she does a great job blocking pin-to-pin. She's fast and has a huge desire to block."
 
Straub, a two-sport athlete who also competes on the Golden Bear track and field team, got her first taste of college volleyball last year as she picked up 10 kills and four digs in six sets of action. On the sophomore, Starkey said, "Mehlayna is the most athletic kid on our roster. She can fly and has been doing some really good things in practice. She can be really terminal and is learning to use how dynamic she is to her benefit."
 
At the setter position, senior Teagan Starkey is joined by freshman Audrey Waterman this season.
 
Last season, Starkey led the nation in assists per set for the second consecutive season, tallying 13.32 assists per set en route to her second straight AVCA All-America First Team selection. The senior guided the offense to a nation-leading .319 hitting percentage with six different hitters hitting over .300 on the year. "Teagan is good at getting us in good positions and making great decisions. She has improved her defense at the net and in the backcourt and she is somebody we can rely on to go out and do her job," said Coach Starkey of the senior.
 
Waterman wrapped up a stellar prep career last year as she was named AVCA All-Region after an impressive season for Maple Grove High School. Starkey said of the new setter, "Audrey is a really talented setter and is somebody who could easily put herself in the mix if we decided to run a 6-2. She is going to be a mainstay in our offense for the next four years."
 
At the libero position, junior Ellie Sieling is still in the mix while senior Halle Bemmels and juniors Cassie Sieling and Natalee Rolbiecki are also set to compete for playing time.
 
In her second year in navy and gold, Cassie Sieling stepped into a bigger role as a defensive specialist as she appeared in 30 matches, collecting 1.60 digs per set and 0.38 aces per set on the season. "Cassie has made some really good strides this summer. She has come back with a little bit more confidence and she has been serving tough and playing great defense," said Starkey of the Bloomington Jefferson High School grad.
 
After spending her first three years on campus as a part of the setter mix, Bemmels has made the switch to a libero/defensive specialist role. She averaged 11.27 assists per set or better in each of the past two seasons and picked up NSIC Setter of the Week honors back in Sept. 2022. Starkey said of the senior, "Halle does a great job defensively and scraps for every ball. She is one of the best leaders on the team and her personality and maturity are a great asset for us."
 
CSP's lone incoming transfer is Natalee Rolbiecki, who joins after two productive seasons at Southwest Minnesota State. Last season, she appeared in 26 matches, ranking third on the team with 2.45 digs per set. "Natalee has already proven herself as a quality libero who is a really strong serve receiver and she doesn't really get flustered much. She plays the game the way it is supposed to be played," Starkey said of the Minneota, Minnesota native.
 
Check back to cspbears.com throughout the season for match previews and recaps along with schedules, statistics and more.