Starkey by-the-numbers...
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22nd season | 659-91 overall | 365-33 NSIC
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9-time NCAA Champion (2007, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 16, 17) & 43-match NCAA postseason win streak (2007-14)
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14-time NSIC Champion (6-undefeated NSIC campaigns)
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22-time NCAA Tournament appearance
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19-time NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen
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12-time NCAA Central Region Champion
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7-time NSIC Tournament Champion (NSIC Tournament years: 2004-07 & 2012-pres.)
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3-time AVCA National Coach of the Year | 6-time NSIC Coach of the Year | 8-time Region Coach of the Year
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.878 - Winningest NCAA Volleyball Coach All-Time (DI, DII & DIII) by overall percentage (minimum 10 seasons)
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75-match win streak spanning parts of 3 seasons (2008-to-2010) - NCAA record; 44-match win streak in 2010-11
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69-match win streak vs. NSIC teams (includes all matches) - 6th longest in NCAA history
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85-match NSIC win streak (conference-only matches, 2007-11)
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61-match home winning streak
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11-straight 30-plus win seasons (2003-13)
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21-time AVCA Team Academic Award (3.3 team GPA or better)
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69 AVCA All-Americans | 31 All-America First Team selections
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17 CSC (formerly CoSIDA) Academic All-Americans
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2 AVCA National Players of the Year
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2 NCAA Woman of the Year Top-9 Finalists
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2 NCAA Elite 90 Award winners
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2 NCAA Today's Top 10 Award winner
- 2 CoSIDA Academic All-America of the Year
Entering his 23rd year as head coach of Concordia volleyball in 2025, three-time AVCA National Coach of the Year Brady Starkey and his staff have turned the squad into one of the premier programs in the country.
The Golden Bears have captured nine NCAA Division II Championships, including seven in a row, making them the only NCAA volleyball program to accomplish the feat at any of the three divisions. Their nine total volleyball titles are more than any program at the DII level as well, one shy of the overall NCAA record.
Among the nine championships, they've won on neutral floors (2007, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2016, 2017), their home floor in front of standing-room only crowds (2008, 2009) and on the road in front of a capacity crowd (2011). Their championships have come in the eastern, central and pacific time zones.
Their first national championship in 2007 was the first women's team NCAA Division II championship in the history of the Northern Sun and just the second overall team national championship for the conference.
In his 19 seasons of competition, Starkey's teams have captured 14 Northern Sun championships, reached the NCAA Tournament every year and advanced to the region championship (also known as Sweet Sixteen) 18 times. They've captured 12 region championships, punching a ticket to the NCAA Elite Eight each time. In 14 NSIC Tournaments, the Golden Bears captured six of the championships (2004, 05, 06, 15, 16, 19).
The team has produced at least 30 wins in 14 out of 19 campaigns, including a perfect 37-0 dream season in 2009 that culminated with their third straight national title, winning on their home floor at Gangelhoff Center for the second year in a row.
Additionally, the squad has excelled in the classroom, earning the AVCA Team Academic Award every year under Starkey.
Their dominance in one of the top volleyball conferences in the country is remarkable. The Golden Bears have lost just 29 league matches in 360 league outings, have produced six perfect conference ledgers, posted an 85-match NSIC winning streak and a 73-match NSIC road winning streak (Starkey's first-ever road NSIC loss came at Minnesota State in the first away NSIC match of 2012).
They've been able to raise their game in NCAA postseason play, carrying a 78-11 all-time record in the NCAA Tournament for an .876 winning percentage. They've never lost a first round regional match and are undefeated in 11 trips to the national semifinals (Final Four). They've only lost once in 12 national quarterfinal (Elite Eight) matches and are 9-2 in 11 national title matches.
He's coached some of the top players in NCAA Division II volleyball history, including two-time AVCA Player of the Year Maggie McNamara - the all-time assists record holder for Division II volleyball (total assists, and assists/set). McNamara, named the Honda Division II Female Athlete of the Year after her senior year (2009), was the first of five AVCA National Freshmen of the Year under Starkey (McNamara, Emily Palkert, Amanda Konetchy, Katie Habeck, Jasmine Mulvihill). The team also featured a top-9 finalist twice, Mary Slinger (2008-09) and Ellie Duffy (2012-13), for the NCAA Woman of the Year award which features the top female student-athletes from around the country across all three divisions and all women's sports sanctioned by the NCAA. Riley Hanson added to the list, joining Duffy in earning an NCAA Today's Top 10 Award selection along with being named the CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year.
The program has also featured 17 CoSIDA Academic All-Americans and 165 NSIC All-Academic student-athletes.
Starkey's list of accomplishments at the helm has earned him national recognition as he was named to the USA Volleyball Hall of Fame in 2020. Starkey was named to the Donald S. Shondell All-Time Great Coach - Contemporary Division.
Impossible to predict, Starkey's first season as head coach in 2003 would set the tone for the program. The team stormed to a 15-1 mark in Northern Sun play to win their first league title and with a 27-3 regular season record earned the right to host the NCAA North Central Regional in their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance. They captured the regional championship and would advance to the Division II title match after beating the top-ranked team in the country, CSU San Bernardino, on their home floor in the national semifinals. They'd finish as the national runner-up in Starkey's rookie coaching year.
Starkey was named head coach after serving as an assistant for Concordia for three seasons under Geoff Carlston. Carlston, who has had stints as head coach at Ohio State University and Ohio University since departing Concordia, has coached 10 teams to the NCAA Tournament at the Division I level.
Together, Starkey assisted Carlston in rebuilding a Concordia volleyball program that was 0-18 in Northern Sun play the year before they arrived. By their third year working with the program, the Golden Bears achieved their first-ever national ranking and finished 24-9 with a 13-5 mark in league play.
Before coming to Concordia, Starkey spent five seasons as an assistant coach at the University of St. Thomas. While at St. Thomas, the Tommies finished in the top four in the MIAC and won the conference title in 1999. During the 1998 season, Starkey had co-head coaching responsibilities with his wife, Penny.
Starkey began his coaching career in 1992 as an assistant coach at Minnetonka High School, where he worked with the b-squad and junior varsity teams. He spent a number of years with the 17-open team of Minnesota One Junior Olympics and currently coaches the 17’s team at Minnesota One.
Starkey earned his undergraduate degree in history from Metropolitan State University in 2002. He and his wife Penny are the parents of two daughters, Teagan and Kayli.
|
Overall |
NSIC |
| Year |
W |
L |
Pct. |
W |
L |
Pct. |
| 2003*# |
32 |
4 |
.889 |
15 |
1 |
.938 |
| 2004*% |
32 |
3 |
.914 |
14 |
0 |
1.000 |
| 2005*$ |
30 |
5 |
.857 |
14 |
0 |
1.000 |
| 2006*% |
36 |
3 |
.923 |
18 |
0 |
1.000 |
| 2007*^ |
36 |
4 |
.900 |
17 |
1 |
.944 |
| 2008*^ |
37 |
1 |
.974 |
20 |
0 |
1.000 |
| 2009*^ |
37 |
0 |
1.000 |
20 |
0 |
1.000 |
| 2010*^ |
32 |
4 |
.889 |
20 |
0 |
1.000 |
| 2011*^ |
34 |
2 |
.944 |
18 |
2 |
.900 |
| 2012*^ |
33 |
4 |
.892 |
18 |
2 |
.900 |
| 2013*^ |
35 |
3 |
.921 |
19 |
1 |
.950 |
| 2014@ |
27 |
6 |
.818 |
18 |
2 |
.900 |
| 2015*% |
29 |
5 |
.853 |
18 |
2 |
.900 |
| 2016*^ |
35 |
2 |
.946 |
18 |
2 |
.900 |
| 2017*^ |
34 |
3 |
.919 |
19 |
1 |
.950 |
| 2018% |
24 |
9 |
.727 |
16 |
4 |
.800 |
| 2019% |
27 |
8 |
.771 |
16 |
4 |
.800 |
| 2021% |
24 |
9 |
.727 |
16 |
4 |
.800 |
| 2022# |
31 |
6 |
.837 |
17 |
3 |
.850 |
| 2023% |
30 |
3 |
.909 |
18 |
2 |
.900 |
| 2024@ |
24 |
7 |
.774 |
16 |
2 |
.889 |
| Overall |
659 |
91 |
.878 |
365 |
33 |
.917 |
| * - NSIC Champions |
| ^ - NCAA Champions |
| # - NCAA Runner-up |
| $ - NCAA Elite Eight |
| % - NCAA Sweet Sixteen |
| @ - NCAA Second Round |
