ST. PAUL, Minn. – The No. 13 Concordia-St. Paul volleyball team (2-1) will head west this weekend to compete in the annual Colorado Premier Challenge. The Golden Bears will take on Missouri Western State (4-0) and No. 2 Angelo State (4-0) on Friday before entering bracket play on Saturday.
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TOURNAMENT INFORMATION
The Colorado Premier Challenge pits many of the nation’s top Division II programs against each other annually in Denver. The tourney is co-hosted by MSU Denver and Regis, with both campuses hosting matches throughout the weekend.
In pool play, the Golden Bears will head to the campus of Regis University as they take on Missouri Western State at 3 p.m. (CT) on Friday in the opener before facing No. 2 Angelo State at 7 p.m. Concordia will then be placed into one of three brackets, gold, silver, or bronze, on Saturday, with match times and locations to be determined.
Live stats and live video will be available for all matches.
TOURNAMENT HISTORY
Concordia enters the weekend as eight-time champions of the Colorado Premier Challenge, having taken home the title in 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2016, 2018, 2019, and 2023.
Held annually since 1996, the Golden Bears are the winningest team in the history of the tournament with an overall record of 61-15 at the Colorado Premier Challenge. CSP’s 52 All-Tournament Team selections are also the most of any program.
Last season, CSP claimed a pair of sweeps over No. 23 Lewis and Seattle Pacific on day one before dropping a pair of five setters to No. 9 West Texas A&M and No. 3 MSU Denver in the tournament’s gold bracket on day two.
Senior setter Teagan Starkey represented the Golden Bears on the 2024 Colorado Premier Challenge All-Tournament Team after leading the tournament with a total of 197 set assists (12.3 per set) while adding 37 digs across the four matches.
UINDY INVITE RECAP
In the season’s opening weekend at the UIndy Invite, Concordia posted a 2-1 record with sweeps over West Virginia State and Tiffin and a five-set loss to host UIndy.
Concordia’s Makenna Nold and Cassie Sieling were each named to the all-tournament team at the conclusion of the weekend. Nold logged a pair of double-doubles in the tournament, with 22 kills and 15 digs in a five-set loss to UIndy and 14 kills and 10 digs in a sweep of West Virginia State. In the win over Tiffin, she posted 12 kills and nine digs. Her average of 4.36 kills per set this season ranks third in the NSIC and 16th in all of NCAA Division II.
Senior libero Cassie Sieling logged 32 digs throughout the tournament, including a 17-dig effort against UIndy.
The duo of Audrey Waterman and Reagan Hickey split time pacing the offense for the Golden Bears, with Waterman logging 69 assists on the weekend and Hickey finishing with 62. Each currently ranks in the top 11 in the NSIC in assists per set this season.
Senior Ellie Sieling contributed all over the court for the Golden Bears with 31 kills, eight service aces, 31 digs, and four total blocks. Junior Mehlayna Straub also had a strong weekend for CSP, tallying 32 kills while leading the team with nine total blocks.
IN THE POLLS
After going 2-1 on the opening weekend, the Golden Bears moved up two spots to 11th in the second American Volleyball Coaches Association Division II Poll of the season.
The Golden Bears amassed 562 points in the poll, coming in 21 points ahead of 12th-place Washburn and 15 points behind 10th-place St. Cloud State. Lynn University and Angelo State stood pat atop the poll at No. 1 and No. 2 with 1175 and 1109 points, respectively.
CSP is one of five Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference representatives in the poll with Southwest Minnesota State (9), St. Cloud State (10), Northern State (22), and Wayne State (25) also representing the league in the second edition of the poll.
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 nine 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.
THE MATCHUPS
Concordia will open the tournament with a matchup against Missouri Western State, the third all-time meeting between the two teams. The Golden Bears hold a perfect 3-0 record versus the Griffons, with two of the three wins coming just last season.
CSP opened the 2024 campaign with a five-set win over MWSU and ended the Griffons’ season with a four-set win in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Central Region Tournament in early December. The only prior meeting came in the semifinals of the 2017 NCAA Central Region Tournament, with Concordia winning in four sets.
CSP and Angelo State have faced off four times in prior seasons, with each meeting occurring at the Colorado Premier Challenge. Concordia holds a 3-1 advantage in the series with wins over the Rams in 2013, 2015, and 2017. Angelo State’s lone victory in the series came in the most recent meeting in 2021.
GOLDEN BEARS’ RECORD VS. THE FIELD
CSP vs. Angelo State: Concordia leads 3-1
CSP vs. Bentley: 0-0
CSP vs. Ferris State: Series tied 2-2
CSP vs. Lewis: Concordia leads 5-0
CSP vs. Missouri Western: Concordia leads 3-0
CSP vs. MSU Denver: Concordia leads 7-2
CSP vs. Point Loma Nazarene: 0-0
CSP vs. Regis: Concordia leads 9-0
CSP vs. Wayne State: Concordia leads 38-19
CSP vs. West Florida: Concordia leads 4-1
CSP vs. West Texas A&M: Concordia leads 4-2
Women’s NCAA Division II Swim and Dive team.
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