ST. PAUL, Minn. – The No. 5 Concordia-St. Paul volleyball team (5-2) is set to open Northern Sun play with a pair of matches at the Gangelhoff Center this weekend, hosting No. 12 Southwest Minnesota State (6-1) on Friday and Sioux Falls (4-4) 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 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 their free passes through Vivenu.

IN THE POLLS
Following a 3-1 weekend at the Colorado Premier Challenge, the Golden Bears dropped two spots to No. 5 in the third American Volleyball Coaches Association Division II Poll of the season.

The Golden Bears collected 901 points and two first-place votes in the poll, coming in behind only Ferris State (1,152 points), Wayne State (1,073 points), Tampa (1,048 points), and Washburn (1,005 points). Fresno Pacific is tied for fifth place alongside Concordia.

The NSIC maintained four representatives in the poll, with St. Cloud State (#8, 820 points) and Southwest Minnesota State (#12, 630 points) joining Concordia and Wayne State. Minnesota Duluth also received votes, but did not crack the top 25.

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 played four matches at the Colorado Premier Challenge, going 3-1 to capture the tournament's silver bracket title.

Concordia began the tournament with a three-set loss to Lewis, but bounced back later that day with a sweep of Palm Beach Atlantic. On day two, CSP picked up a pair of impressive wins with a five-set victory over No. 7 MSU Denver and a four-set win over No. 25 West Texas A&M.

At the conclusion of the tournament, Concordia's Makenna Nold was named to the Colorado Premier Challenge All-Tournament Team. Nold was also named NSIC Offensive Player of the Week after leading the NSIC in both points per set (4.87) and kills per set (4.13). It marks the third weekly conference honor of her career, and the first this season.  

STAT SHEET STANDOUTS
The reigning NSIC Offensive Player of the Week, junior Makenna Nold paces the NSIC and ranks 10^th in Division II with 4.85 points per set. Nold also leads the conference in kills per set (3.85) and ranks seventh in aces per set (0.52) and 11^th in blocks per set (0.81).
 
Junior Kelsey Cooper leads the team and ranks ninth in the NSIC with a .394 hitting percentage. Cooper also sits 15^th in the conference with 0.78 blocks per set.

At setter, Audrey Waterman ranks 11^th in the NSIC with 6.67 assists per set, while Reagan Hickey sits close behind with 6.25 assists per set, good for 14^th in the conference.

As a team, the Golden Bears rank third in the NSIC and sit 55^th in Division II with 2.04 blocks per set. Concordia also ranks fourth in the conference in assists per set (13.33), fifth in kills per set (14.11), and ninth in digs per set (14.15).

SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA STATE SERIES HISTORY
The Golden Bears and Mustangs will meet for the 74^th edition of the all-time series on Friday. Concordia leads the series 44-28-1, including a mark of 44-14 since 2000. In home matches, Concordia holds a 22-12 advantage in the series.

Concordia has won eight of the last 10 matchups, though the Mustangs claimed a five-set win over CSP in the only meeting between the teams last season on October 10.

SCOUTING THE MUSTANGS
Ranked 12^th in the most recent AVCA Coaches Poll, the Mustangs enter the weekend with a record of 6-1. Each of their six victories has come via sweep, with their lone loss coming in four sets against No. 11 Missouri Western State.

The Mustangs rank near the top of the conference in nearly every statistical category, leading the NSIC in kills per set (14.95) and digs per set (18.23) while ranking second in blocks per set (2.09).
 
SIOUX FALLS SERIES HISTORY
The Golden Bears and Cougars have played each other 24 times in prior seasons, with Concordia holding a head-to-head record of 18-6. In the years since Sioux Falls made the jump to Division II and joined the NSIC in 2012, CSP has gone 17-3 against USF. In matches at the Gangelhoff Center, Concordia holds a 9-2 edge all-time.

Concordia has dominated the series in recent seasons, winning five straight matches against the Cougars dating back to 2023. The teams met twice last season, with Concordia sweeping a regular season meeting on October 11 in Sioux Falls and winning in straight sets once again in the NSIC Tournament Semifinals on November 21 at the Gangelhoff Center.

SCOUTING THE COUGARS
The Cougars enter the weekend with a 4-4 record after playing four matches at both the Cal State-Monterey Bay Tournament and the Sioux Falls Volleyball Classic, a tournament they hosted.

USF boasts a stingy defense at the net as they lead the NSIC with 2.59 blocks per set. On offense, they rank 10^th with 13.09 kills per set while hitting .259 as a team, good for ninth in the conference.

Senior Haley Wolfe has been a monster in the middle for the Cougars, pacing the NSIC with 1.28 blocks per set. Junior middle blocker Ella Walker leads the conference with a .447 hitting percentage. Defensively, libero Maci Lerseth sits seventh in the NSIC with 3.69 digs per set.