ST. PAUL, Minn. – The No. 11 Concordia-St. Paul volleyball team (9-3, 5-0) will host two Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference matchups at the Gangelhoff Center during homecoming weekend, starting with Augustana (8-5, 2-3 NSIC) on Friday evening and continuing with No. 9 Wayne State (11-2, 5-0 NSIC) on Saturday afternoon.
 
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.

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

BUY TICKETS TO HOME GAMES ONLINE
Fans are highly encouraged to purchase tickets online at cspbears.com/tickets prior to game day. All ticketed events for the 25-26 academic year will utilize the Vivenu online ticket platform found at that link and fans must scan a mobile ticket to enter. Tickets will still be sold on site on game day, but purchases are card-only and include additional fees. The best way for fans to make their game day entry as smooth as possible is to purchase tickets online in advance. CSP students, faculty and staff will be able to download and transfer their free passes through Vivenu.

LAST TIME OUT
The Golden Bears kept their perfect conference record alive with a trio of NSIC wins last week, defeating Winona State in four sets at the Gangelhoff Center on Tuesday before sweeping both Minot State and UMary on the road over the weekend.

Throughout the week, sophomore Makenna Nold led the CSP offense with 31 kills (3.10 per set) and 28 digs (2.80 per set) while leading the conference with eight service aces.

Middle blocker Mehlayna Straub contributed on both offense and defense, tallying 29 kills and 10 total blocks throughout the week. Ellie Sieling was also a vital piece of Concordia's success with 26 kills and 27 digs across the three contests.

Setter Reagan Hickey also had another strong week, totaling 71 assists (7.89 per set) and 18 digs across the three matches.

IN THE POLLS
Following yet another 2-0 week, the Golden Bears jumped two spots to 11th in the fifth American Volleyball Coaches Association Division II Poll of the season.

The Golden Bears collected 692 points in the poll, coming in 62 points ahead of No. 12 Southwest Minnesota State and just six points behind No. 10 Washburn.  Undefeated Central Oklahoma made the jump from No. 2 to the top spot in the country, collecting a total of 1,163 points and 39 of the 47 possible first-place votes.

CSP is one of six Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference representatives in the poll with Wayne State (9), Southwest Minnesota State (12), St. Cloud State (13), Minnesota Duluth (15), and Northern State (24) each joining the Golden Bears in the rankings.

Concordia has been a mainstay near the top of the poll for nearly two decades as they have ranked outside the top 10 for just 12 weeks since 2003, never ranking below #15. The Golden Bears have ranked #1 at least once in 16 of the past 20 seasons. In total, CSP has spent an incredible 84 weeks at the top team in the country since debuting there in the 2004 preseason poll.

STAT SHEET STANDOUTS
Makenna Nold continues to be one of the NSIC's top players this season, leading the conference in both points per set (5.14, sixth in Division II) and kills per set (4.10, 20^th in Division II).

Sophomore transfer Kelsey Cooper remains CSP's most efficient attacker, leading the team and ranking fifth in the conference and 14^th in all of Division II with a .399 hitting percentage while tallying 79 kills on the season.

Defensively, senior libero Cassie Sieling leads the team with 3.64 digs per set, ninth most in the NSIC. Senior Ellie Sieling has been a key two-way player for the Golden Bears, ranking second on the team and 17^th in the conference with 3.00 digs per set while averaging 2.67 kills per set, the third best mark on the team.

Reagan Hickey has paced the Golden Bear offense with an average of 8.58 assists per set, good for eighth most in the league. Redshirt freshman Audrey Waterman has also played significant time at setter, averaging 6.50 assists per set.
 
Junior Mehlayna Straub leads the team and ranks seventh in the conference with 0.98 blocks per set while also contributing 2.83 kills per set.
 
AUGUSTANA SERIES HISTORY
Saturday will mark the 34^th edition of the series between the Golden Bears and Vikings with Concordia holding a commanding 31-2 advantage in prior meetings. CSP enters the match riding a five-match winning streak that dates back to 2022.

Augustana's only victories over Concordia came in the first-ever meeting in 1988 and in the NSIC Tournament in 2021 with CSP winning 27 straight against the Vikings in between. Augustana has never won at the Gangelhoff Center with CSP holding a record of 16-0 in home matchups.

SCOUTING THE VIKINGS
Augustana enters Friday's meeting with an overall record of 8-5 and a 2-3 mark in conference play. The Vikings have played just one ranked team so far this season, falling in straight sets to No. 14 Wayne State on September 23.

Augie setter Kiylah Franke has been one of the top setters in both the conference and the country this year, ranking fifth in the NSIC and 11^th in Division II with an average of 10.94 assists per set. Her 591 total assists lead the league and rank second in Division II.

The Viking attack has ranked in the middle of the conference pack through 13 matches, sitting ninth in the NISC in both hitting percentage (.253) and kills per set (13.13).

Defensively, the Vikings rank 12^th in the conference with an average of 14.39 digs per set and sit seventh in the league in blocks per set with 1.96.

WAYNE STATE SERIES HISTORY
Prior to Saturday, the Golden Bears and Wildcats have met 57 times with Concordia posting a record of 38-19 in those matches.

The series has gone back and forth with tilts in each team's favor at certain points, with Wayne State winning six of the last 10 meetings. The two squads met twice last season and Concordia emerged victorious on both occasions, winning at home in four sets on November 2 and winning in five sets in the NSIC Tournament semifinal on November 23. In 21 meetings at the Gangelhoff Center, the Golden Bears hold a 20-11 edge.

SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
The Wildcats enter the weekend holding an overall record of 11-2 with a 5-0 mark in conference play. Wayne State has faced off against three ranked opponents so far this season, posting a record of 2-1 in those matches with wins over No. 3 MSU Denver and No. 16 Minnesota Duluth and a loss to No. 15 Point Loma.

The Wildcat offense is led by sophomore Chloe Hanel, who ranks second in the NSIC and seventh in the country with a .438 hitting percentage while sitting 13^th in the NSIC with 3.13 kills per set. As a team, Wayne State ranks fifth in the league in hitting percentage (.273) and seventh in kills per set (13.58). Wayne State setter Molly Romano's 540 total assists this season are good for third most in the NSIC and fifth in Division II.

Defensively, the Wildcats sit fifth in the conference in digs per set (15.60) and 11^th in blocks per set (1.69).