ST. PAUL, Minn. – The No. 13 Concordia-St. Paul volleyball team (6-3, 2-0) will play a trio of Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference matches this week, hosting Winona State (7-3, 2-0 NSIC) on Tuesday before heading west to play at Minot State (1-9, 0-2 NSIC) on Friday and UMary (3-7, 0-2 NSIC) on Saturday.
 
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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.

WALL OF NOLD: DEFENSIVE DOMINANCE EARNS WEEKLY CONFERENCE HONOR
Sophomore standout Makenna Nold was all over the floor in each of CSP's weekend wins, earning NSIC Defensive Player of the Week honors after leading the conference in both blocks per set (1.71) and points per set (5.57) throughout the week. Across the two matches, she hit .367 and tallied 28 kills, 18 digs, 12 block assists, and five service aces.

It was the first weekly conference honor of Nold's career and the first by a Golden Bear volleyball player in the 2025 season so far.

LAST TIME OUT
The Golden Bears opened conference play at home over the weekend, sweeping NSIC newcomer Jamestown (N.D.) on Friday and defeating No. 15 Northern State on Saturday at the Gangelhoff Center. The match with Northern State was CSP's fourth against a ranked opponent already this season with Concordia owning a record of 3-1 in those contests.

The reigning NSIC Defensive Player of the Week, sophomore Makenna Nold had another strong weekend for the Bears, leading the team and the NSIC with 5.57 points per set and 1.71 blocks per set while hitting .367. Across the two matches, she tallied 28 kills, 18 digs, 12 block assists, and five service aces.

Setter Reagan Hickey also had a solid week in pacing the CSP offense, averaging 11.50 assists per set in the two wins. She was a key contributor in the win over Northern State, totaling 51 assists and nine digs.

Senior Ellie Sieling helped the Bears with a pair of strong all-around performances, collecting 21 kills, 21 digs, and four service aces between the two matches.

IN THE POLLS
After a perfect 2-0 start to conference play over the weekend, the Golden Bears climbed one spot to 13th in the fourth American Volleyball Coaches Association Division II Poll of the season.

The Golden Bears collected 594 points in the poll, coming in 84 points ahead of 14^th-place Wayne State and just 15 points behind 12^th-place Ferris State. Defending Division II champion Lynn University held onto the top spot for the fourth consecutive week, receiving 44 of 47 possible first-place votes and collecting a total of 1,156 points.

CSP is one of six Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference representatives in the poll with Southwest Minnesota State (8), Wayne State (14), St. Cloud State (15), Minnesota Duluth (16), and Northern State (18) each representing the league.

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 11 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 league and ranking top 10 in Division II in both kills per set (4.41) and points per set (5.21) through the first weekend of conference action. She also ranks sixth in the league in blocks per set (0.94).

Sophomore transfer Kelsey Cooper has been CSP's most efficient attacker, leading the team and ranking fifth in the conference with a .406 hitting percentage while tallying 65 kills on the season.

Defensively, senior libero Cassie Sieling leads the team with 3.41 digs per set, 13^th most in the NSIC. Senior Ellie Sieling has been key on serve-receive for the Golden Bears, pacing the team and sitting fifth in the conference with 0.50 aces per set while also contributing 3.09 digs per set.

Reagan Hickey has paced the Golden Bear offense with an average of 8.81 assists per set, good for eighth most in the league. Redshirt freshman Audrey Waterman has also played significant time at setter, averaging 6.71 assists per set.
 
Junior Mehlayna Straub leads the team and ranks sixth in the conference with 0.94 blocks per set while also contributing 2.75 kills per set.
 
WINONA STATE SERIES HISTORY
The Golden Bears and Warriors have met a total of 50 times in prior seasons with CSP holding a dominant 39-11 record in those matches. Concordia enters the match riding a five-match winning streak against WSU that dates back to 2022. CSP's longest winning streak over the Warriors reached 24 matches stretching from 2001-2015.

Winona State's most recent victory over CSP came during the 2021 season, when the Golden Bears dropped two matchups to the Warriors. Those contests marked WSU's only back-to-back wins in the series and their lone triumph at the Gangelhoff Center.

SCOUTING THE WARRIORS
Winona State enters the week with an overall record of 7-3 and an unblemished 2-0 mark in conference play. The Warriors played host to the same two teams as the Golden Bears last weekend, topping No. 15 Northern State on Friday and Jamestown on Saturday in four sets each.

As a team, the Warriors have been strong defensively at the net as they lead the conference and rank 23^rd in Division II with 2.42 blocks per set. Senior Gianna Vollrath has led the defensive effort for WSU with an average of 1.21 blocks per set, second most in the NSIC.

On offense, junior Kenna Kornely has been one of the top hitters in the nation as she ranks second in the conference and 11^th in Division II with 4.34 kills per set.

MINOT STATE SERIES HISTORY
Friday's meeting with the Beavers will mark the 16^th in the history of the series, with CSP holding a flawless record of 15-0 against Minot State to this point. There have been only two matches containing more than three sets, with the Beavers sending matches to four sets on their home floor in the 2013 and 2019 seasons.

Last year, the Golden Bears swept the Beavers in Minot, N.D. on October 4 in the lone meeting of the season.

SCOUTING THE BEAVERS
Minot State enters the week holding a record of 1-9 with a mark of 0-2 in conference play. The lone win came against Montana State-Billings on September 11. In two matches of NSIC play, the Beavers have been swept by No. 16 St. Cloud State and Minnesota State.

The Beavers feature a solid defensive presence in the back row, ranking fifth in the NSIC in digs per set as a team this season. Junior Caton Pearcy leads the team and ranks 18^th in the conference individually with 3.13 digs per set.

Minot State has struggled on offense to this point, ranking 15^th in the league in both kills per set (10.12) and hitting percentage (.080) this season. 

UMARY SERIES HISTORY
Saturday will mark the 26^th edition of the series between the Golden Bears and the Marauders. CSP has never lost to UMary, winning all 25 prior matchups and recording sweeps on 22 occasions.
In the lone meeting between the teams last year, Concordia walked away with a three-set road win on October 5.

SCOUTING THE MARAUDERS
UMary currently holds a record of 3-7 with a mark of 0-2 in conference play this season. In their first taste of NSIC action last weekend, the Marauders were swept by both Minnesota State and St. Cloud State.

The defense for UMary has been led by freshman Katie Bleeker with an average of 3.67 digs per set, good for ninth in the NSIC. Setter Natalie Boehmer also ranks ninth in the league with an average of 6.81 assists per set.

Opponents have found success at the net against UMary as the Marauders have allowed the opposition to hit .267 on the season, the second worst mark in the conference.