SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The No. 8 Concordia-St. Paul volleyball team (12-4, 8-1 NSIC) got back in the win column with a sweep of Sioux Falls (10-7, 5-4 NSIC) in NSIC play on Saturday afternoon at the Stewart Center.

The win improved Concordia's all-time record against Sioux Falls to 17-6, including a mark of 8-2 when playing in Sioux Falls. The Golden Bears have now won four straight and claimed seven of the last eight against USF.

In the opening set, Concordia rallied from an early 6-3 deficit with an 11-3 run fueled by strong serving from senior Ellie Sieling and key kills by Straub and sophomore Makenna Nold. The Golden Bears controlled the rest of the set, closing on a 7-1 surge capped by a Kaelyn Snoozy kill to win 25-16.

The second set was tightly contested, featuring several early ties before CSP used a 6-1 run to pull ahead 9-4. The Golden Bears looked poised to finish the set quickly as they led 19-11, but Sioux Falls battled back with 11 points in the following 13 serves to gain a 22-21 lead. Concordia quickly regained control from there, winning four of the next five points to close out the set 25-23.

In the third set, Sioux Falls jumped out to a 5-1 lead before Concordia responded with a 7-2 run to take control. Concordia never trailed after that, closing the set with a run of six straight points to win 25-16 and complete the sweep.

Concordia-St. Paul hit an impressive .385 as a team throughout the match, finishing with 52 kills against only 12 errors on 104 total attacks. The Golden Bears also added eight service aces and five total blocks while limiting the Cougars to a .219 hitting percentage, 36 kills, and just a single ace.

Ellie Sieling led the offensive charge with 12 kills on .360 hitting to go along with three service aces and eight digs. Snoozy matched her efficiency with 12 kills of her own while hitting .370 and adding two blocks and two digs. Straub continued her strong play in the middle, collecting 11 kills at a match-leading .563 clip with three block assists. Kelsey Cooper added seven kills and two blocks while hitting .545 for the Golden Bears.

Setter Audrey Waterman distributed the offense effectively, tallying 29 assists, four service aces, and a dig, while Reagan Hickey added 17 assists. Cassie Sieling anchored the defense with 10 digs, and Nold contributed across the board with 10 kills, 11 digs, and three block assists.

For Sioux Falls, Sadie Voss led the way with 11 kills and three digs, while Ella Walker hit .583 with nine kills. Setter Elise Gillen recorded 18 assists, and Gretchen Volk paced the back row with 10 digs.

The Golden Bears now have a split week upcoming, playing at No. 10 St. Cloud State on Thursday evening before returning home to host No. 22 Minnesota State on Saturday afternoon.