Winona State, seeded No. 7 in the 2023 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Volleyball Tournament, will embrace the upset opportunity in taking on Concordia, St. Paul, the second seed in the competition.  Both the Warriors (18-9, 10-8 NSIC) and Golden Bears (25-2, 16-2 NSIC) have been featured in recent NCAA Division II regional rankings and the winner of Tuesday's tilt will advance to the semifinals of the 2023 NSIC Tournament. 

Winona State will be looking to end a two-match losing skid and replicate the form that saw WSU beat CSP in the Gangelhoff Center on Tuesday, Oct. 5, 2021, a 3-1 Warrior win. 

GAME & FAN INFORMATION 

• Live stats and live video are available at the links above.  

WINONA STATE STORYLINES 

• Winona State is 18-9 overall and 10-8 in the NSIC. WSU has been ranked as high as No. 9 in the NCAA DII Central Region. 

• WSU returns to the NSIC postseason for the second time in three years, having played their way to the tournament championship game in 2021. 

• Winona State has 2-2 mark vs. Concordia, St. Paul in the past four matches. 

•  Rylee Vaughn, Gianna Vollrath, Sidney Paulson and Jaci Winchell all earned All-Tournament honors during the Warriors early season contests at Northern Michigan and Wisconsin Parkside, respectively. 

• WSU was picked ninth in the 2023 NSIC Volleyball Coaches Poll but finished the regular season in seventh overall. 

• WSU narrowly missed out on an NSIC postseason bid last fall, finishing ninth with a 12-15 overall mark and 8-12 NSIC record.   

• The Warriors played their first eight matches on the road, racking up a 7-1 record. 

• WSU will feature seniors Rylee Vaughn, Lydia Lange, Sidney Paulson, and Taylor Pagel this season.   

• Sidney Paulson was selected as 2023 WSU's Player to Watch by the NSIC and eanred 2023 All-NSIC honors following the season. 

• Two seasons ago, the Warriors qualified for the 2021 NSIC Tournament and the 2021 NCAA Division II postseason, finishing 28-5 overall and 17-3 in league play. 

• Winona State features five freshmen: Sophia Armstrong, Ashlyn Steding, Quinn Robak, Kenna Kornely, and Jayda Berg. WSU also added transfer Leah Mach, a junior from Emporia State University.   

• In his tenth year at Winona State, Getzin had previous stops at Embry Riddle (AZ), Portland and Ole Miss. 

• Heading into 2023, Getzin is No. 1 all-time at Winona State in winning percentage (.682) and second all-time in seasons at the school (9).  

• WSU returns assistant coaches Kristine Fisch, Jackie Kiecker, and Mara Quam to the Warrior sideline this fall. 

Concordia, St. Paul STORYLINES 

• The Golden Bears enter the match with an overall record of 25-2 and an 16-2 NSIC mark.

• CSP is No. 2 in the country in the current AVCA national poll. 

• Concordia, St. Paul defeated Winona State 3-0 earlier this year in St. Paul on Sep. 23.

• The Golden Bears will be facing Winona State for the 48th time in the history of the the series. CSP has notched 34 victories in the last 38 meetings between the schools.
• The Golden Bears finished 2023 ranked second in the NSIC in team hitting percentage (.318), first in points/set (19.45), team attacks per set (37.63) and first in assists/set (14.48). CSP lost to Wayne State 3-0 in Wayne, Neb. on Sep. 15 and 3-1 at St. Cloud State on Oct. 20. 

WARRIOR NOTABLES: 

• Earlier this summer, Winona State earned its 17th consecutive AVCA Team Academic Award. 

• WSU's 7-1 start fell just one win short of matching the 8-0 opening run of the 2021 NCAA Tournament Warrior team.  

• Gianna Vollrath finished the regular season 7th in the NSIC in hitting percentage (.342). 

• Sidney Paulson wrapped up the regular season is 11th in the league in kills per set (3.35). 

• Jaci Winchell was ninth in the NSIC in assists per set (9.09) during the league schedule. 

• Rylee Vaughn finished sixth in the NSIC in digs-per-set (4.63) in 2023. 

• Paulson was 12th in total points across the league with 233.5 on the year.  

• Head coach Joe Getzin coached assistant coach Jackie Kiecker when Kiecker was a student-athlete at Ole Miss.  

For the most up to date news in Warrior Athletics, please visit: www.WINONASTATEWARRIORS.com and @WinonaStateATH.