ST. PAUL, Minn. – In a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference clash of two top-15 programs, No. 14 Concordia-St. Paul (6-3, 2-0 NSIC) outlasted No. 15 Northern State (8-2, 0-2 NSIC) in four sets at the Gangelhoff Center on Saturday afternoon to preserve a perfect start to conference play.

The Golden Bears started the day strong with back-to-back 25-19 wins in sets one and two, but Northern State got on the board in the third set with a 25-16 win of their own. Concordia slammed the door in the fourth set, edging the Wolves 25-22 to take the match 3-1.

The match was the 51^st in the all-time series between the Golden Bears and Wolves with Concordia now owning a 41-10 advantage. The win also extended CSP's winning streak over Northern State to six matches in a run that dates back to 2022.

Trailing 12-9 in the first set, Concordia roared back and won 12 of the next 15 points. Sophomore Makenna Nold helped spark the run with two kills and consecutive aces, pushing CSP ahead 21-15. The teams traded points the rest of the way as the Golden Bears closed it out, 25-19.

Northern State grabbed another early advantage as they clung to a 10-8 lead early in set two, but Concordia answered with an 8-2 run highlighted by four kills from senior Ellie Sieling to move ahead 16-12. The Wolves never cut the deficit to less than two from that point on as Concordia went on to claim yet another 25-19 victory and take a 2-0 advantage in the match.

The Wolves never trailed in the third set, working to a 13-10 lead before blowing the set wide open with a run of seven consecutive points to take a 20-10 advantage on the way to a 25-16 win.

What looked like a smooth finish turned tense in set four as Concordia's 18-14 cushion vanished with a six-point surge from Northern State. The Wolves inched ahead 22-20 as they eyed a decisive fifth set, but the Golden Bears slammed the door in emphatic fashion—winning the final five points for a 25-22 victory.

Sophomore setter Reagan Hickey had her strongest match as a Golden Bear, setting a new season high with 51 assists while adding nine digs and a block assist.

Nold put together one of her best outings of the young season, collecting 20 kills while posting a match-high .472 hitting percentage and adding three service aces, five block assists, and seven digs.

Logging her third double-double of the season, Ellie Sieling finished with 11 digs and 13 kills accompanied by just a single attack error for a .353 hitting percentage. Junior Mehlayna Straub joined her in double figures with 11 kills, five block assists, and two digs.

Senior Natalee Rolbiecki led the back row effort with a team-high 16 digs and senior libero Cassie Sieling was just behind her with 12 digs, also collecting four assists and four service aces.

For the Wolves, Natalia Szybinska led all players in the match with 25 kills while hitting .429. Abby Schauer posted a match-high 21 digs to lead the Northern State defense.

The Golden Bears will remain home for a midweek clash with Winona State (7-2, 3-0 NSIC) on Tuesday at 6 p.m. before hitting the road for a pair of matches in North Dakota next weekend.