ST. PAUL, Minn. – The No. 8 Concordia-St. Paul volleyball team (12-4, 7-2 NSIC) will head north for a pair of NSIC matches this weekend as they are set to play at MSU Moorhead (10-8, 3-6 NSIC) on Friday and Minnesota Crookston (3-14, 1-8 NSIC) on Saturday.

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 CONFERENCE MATCHES ONLINE - NSIC NETWORK
Starting with the 2026-27 season, Concordia and the NSIC will call Midco Sports Plus the streaming home for the NSIC Network. Midco Sports Plus, a regional cable provider primarily based in North Dakota, South Dakota, and parts of Minnesota, features an expanded variety of online sports coverage.
 
The NSIC Network will be part of a subscription service with annual access plans starting at under $7 per month for the full year ($79/year) or a monthly service for $15, which includes NSIC coverage as well as Summit League coverage.
 
Concordia's home broadcasts will continue to feature multiple cameras with instant replay, along with commentary from St. Paul-native Dan Flanagan, a graduate of Fordham University (N.Y.), where he covered multiple NCAA Division I sports teams on campus for the Rams, including football and basketball in the Patriot League. Flanagan has been the broadcast voice of the Golden Bears for nearly 20 years and called multiple national, regional, and conference championships.
 
For more information, view the NSIC's press release announcing the Midco Sports Plus partnership: https://cspbears.com/news/2026/7/16/athletics-midco-sports-launches-nsics-new-streaming-home.aspx
 
For streaming support and troubleshooting, visit Midco's support page: https://sports.midco.com/support

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 2026-27 academic year will utilize the Vivenu online ticket platform found at that link, and fans must scan a mobile tick et 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 their free passes through Vivenu.

IN THE POLLS
Following a 2-1 week,  the Golden Bears dropped three spots to No. 8 in the seventh American Volleyball Coaches Association Division II Poll of the season.

The Golden Bears collected 798 points in the poll. Undefeated Ferris State remains atop the poll with 1,173 points and 45 first-place votes, while NSIC foe Wayne State (Neb.) remained at No. 2 with 1,116 points.

The NSIC maintained five representatives in the poll, all of which sit in the top 16. Joining CSP and Wayne State from the NSIC are Southwest Minnesota State (#12, 609 points), Minnesota Duluth (#14, 551 points), and St. Cloud State (#16, 513 points).

Concordia has been a mainstay near the top of the poll for more than two decades, as it has ranked outside the top 10 for just eight weeks since 2003, never ranking below #15. The Golden Bears have ranked #1 at least once in 17 of the past 21 seasons. In total, CSP has spent an incredible 84 weeks as the top team in the country since debuting there in the 2004 preseason poll.

LAST TIME OUT
Last weekend, the Golden Bears went 1-1 in a pair of five set matches, falling to then No. 19 Minnesota Duluth on Friday before defeating Bemidji State on Saturday.

In Friday's match against Minnesota Duluth, senior Mehlayna Straub was outstanding for the Golden Bears, logging a season-high 17 kills with no errors on 28 swings for a match-high .607 hitting clip. Straub also led the defensive effort at the net with five total blocks.

Junior Makenna Nold registered her eighth double-double of the season, finishing with 16 kills and 13 digs. Julia Gordon and Kelsey Cooper added 11 kills each for Concordia.

Defensively, sophomore Kaelyn Snoozy led the way with 16 digs, while freshman Abby Rolbiecki added 12.

At setter, time was split relatively even, with Audrey Waterman tallying 27 assists and Reagan Hickey finishing with 26.

Though the teams tallied 61 kills each on the evening, Concordia had an edge in efficiency with 16 errors on 175 swings for a .257 hitting percentage, while the Bulldogs had 31 errors on 172 attempts for a .174 hitting percentage. Minnesota Duluth made up for that with a 13-4 advantage in service aces.

In Saturday's win over Bemidji State, Nold had her strongest match of the season, tallying 24 kills, 12 digs, eight total blocks, and two aces while hitting .321. Her eight blocks matched her career high, while her 24 kills were the fourth most in a match for her career. With 31 total points in the match, Nold notched a new career best.

Junior Kelsey Cooper ranked second on the team with 15 kills on an efficient .480 hitting clip, and she also chipped in four block assists and three digs. Fellow junior Julia Gordon added 12 kills on .379 hitting. Mehlayna Straub was second on the team with five total blocks while adding nine kills.

Freshman Kaydence White got her first taste of collegiate action in the match, finishing with three kills and a dig.

On the defensive side, sophomore Kaelyn Snoozy led the way with 15 digs for CSP. Marta Leeland also finished in double figures with 11 digs.

Junior Reagan Hickey paced the offense with 29 assists and also contributed six digs. Audrey Waterman was just behind her with 28 assists.

For the match, Concordia hit .308 with 66 kills and 18 errors while BSU hit .259 with 63 kills and 21 errors. The Golden Bears also managed a significant defensive edge at the net with a 12-7 advantage in blocks.

STAT SHEET STANDOUTS
Junior Makenna Nold paces the NSIC and ranks 17th in Division II with 4.61 points per set. Nold also ranks fifth in the conference in kills per set (3.74) and sits eighth in aces per set (0.41) and 15^th in blocks per set (0.80).

Junior Kelsey Cooper and senior Mehlayna Straub are tied for the team lead and rank ninth in the NSIC with a .356 hitting percentage. Straub also sits seventh in the NSIC with 0.98 blocks per set.

At setter, Audrey Waterman ranks 13^th in the NSIC with 6.18 assists per set, while Reagan Hickey sits close behind with 6.03 assists per set, good for 14^th in the conference.

As a team, the Golden Bears rank fourth in the NSIC with 2.11 blocks per set. Concordia also ranks sixth in the conference in assists per set (12.97), seventh in kills per set (13.73), and eighth in digs per set (15.61).

MSU MOORHEAD SERIES HISTORY
In 46 prior meetings with the Dragons, Concordia holds a 38-8 advantage in the all-time series. When playing on the road, CSP holds a 17-3 edge over MSUM.

CSP has dominated the series in recent years, winning 23 straight matches over the Dragons in a streak that dates back to 2007.

SCOUTING THE DRAGONS
The Dragons enter the week holding an overall record of 10-8, including a mark of 3-6 in NSIC play.

Defensively, MSUM ranks fifth in the NSIC with 2.04 blocks per set and sits seventh in the conference with 12.97 kills per set. On offense, the Dragons sit 10^th in the conference with 12.97 kills per set and ninth in hitting percentage at .233.

Individually, libero Maci Martini leads the Dragons and ranks ninth in the NSIC with 0.40 aces per set while sitting 11^th in the conference with 3.55 digs per set. Raiah Mandell paces the Dragons' offense with 2.81 kills per set.
 
MINNESOTA CROOKSTON SERIES HISTORY
The Golden Bears hold an all-time record of 40-3 against the Golden Eagles, including a mark of 18-1 in road matches.

Concordia has been in firm control of the series for more than two decades, winning 40 straight over UMC in a streak that dates back to 2000.

SCOUTING THE GOLDEN EAGLES
The Golden Eagles enter the weekend with an overall record of 3-14, including a record of 1-8 in NSIC play.

The UMC offense ranks 15^th in the NSIC in both kills per set (10.25) and hitting percentage (.149). On defense, the Golden Eagles also rank 15^th in the conference in both digs per set (13.05) and blocks per set (1.43).

Senior Madison Carsten leads the Minnesota Crookston attack with 2.96 kills per set, 19^th most in the NSIC. At setter, Ellery Ehrsemann ranks 16^th in the NSIC with 5.43 assists per set.