The Concordia-St. Paul star balances nursing school with All-American play on the court
Makenna Nold knew exactly what she wanted from her college experience: challenging academics, elite volleyball and a place where the sport remained fun. She found that combination in Division II at Concordia-St. Paul.
“I’ve always wanted volleyball to feel fun,” she said. “If there was any point where it didn’t feel like fun, I knew that program wasn’t the place that fit me best.”
Under head coach Brady Starkey, Nold quickly felt she had found a program where she could excel on the court and in the classroom.
From promising freshman to Division II Player of the Year
Nold emerged as one of the premier players in Division II volleyball after earning Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Freshman of the Year and the American Volleyball Coaches Association Central Region Freshman of the Year. Her sophomore season in 2025 took that success to another level.
After sweeping the regional and advancing through the semifinals of the 2025 NCAA Division II Women’s Volleyball Championship, the gravity of the moment started to sink in for Nold and the Golden Bears. They would be competing in the program’s 12th title match.
“When we won, we were all like, wait, this is for the national championship,” she said. “We’ve made it to the last possible game of the season.”
While the postseason run ended in a loss to Metropolitan State University of Denver, Nold delivered 25 kills in the title match. Her dominant sophomore campaign earned her multiple Player of the Year honors, headlined by the national Division II AVCA award. She also received first-team All-America honors from the AVCA and Division II Conference Commissioners Association and was named the College Sports Communicators Division II Volleyball Academic All-American of the Year.
“I’m grateful to have been awarded national Player of the Year,” she said. “But I can’t win that by myself. I just can’t. Volleyball is a game where you need all six people, and I’m most proud of my team making it to the national championship game this past season.”
Balancing Division II volleyball and nursing school
Nold’s success has extended well beyond the volleyball court.
As a nursing major, she spends her days balancing classes, clinical requirements, studying and her volleyball obligations. She describes her days beginning in the library and often ending in the gym before returning to finish coursework in the evenings.
“In my mind, school has to come first,” Nold said.
She credits her family and those on Concordia-St. Paul’s campus for making this balance possible. From the coaching staff adjusting practice schedules to administrators helping to coordinate clinical requirements, the people around Nold have enabled her to pursue both without compromising either.
“This is a reflection of our university’s desire to help student-athletes excel in the classroom and their sport,” said Allison Meadows, associate athletics director for compliance and senior woman administrator. “We work collaboratively in identifying the options for clinicals and then scheduling those when it is least disruptive to a student-athlete’s sport season. … The real reason it has been so successful is because our student-athletes, like Makenna, do such a great job in the classroom, labs and clinicals.”
The balance that Concordia-St. Paul offers Nold extends into the offseason, as well. During the summer, she works as a pharmacy assistant, coaches volleyball for her former club and gives softball pitching lessons. Each of these opportunities, she said, is helping her develop into the person and healthcare professional she aspires to be.
“I enjoy working at the pharmacy because I get to see another side of the medical field,” she said. “And coaching volleyball means a lot to me because being able to mentor the next generation is so special.”
The perfect fit
The ability to gain experiences outside athletics is something she thinks Division II and Concordia-St. Paul uniquely provide for student-athletes.
“I’ve been able to find my balance within Division II,” Nold said. “Playing volleyball here at Concordia-St. Paul has created a lifestyle for me that allows me to be in nursing school, be a volleyball player and have other interests.”
In two seasons, Nold has become a national Player of the Year, an athletic and academic All-American and a nursing student working toward a future as a nurse practitioner.
Choosing Concordia-St. Paul gave her the opportunity to compete for championships, pursue a demanding degree and prepare for a career beyond athletics without sacrificing the balance she wanted from her college experience.
Her next goal is another deep postseason run and a trip to Kansas City, where the 2026 Division II Women’s Volleyball Championship will be part of the Division II Fall Championships Festival.
“I think if someone’s on the fence, they should play a Division II sport,” she said. “You can find what you’re looking for like I did at Concordia-St. Paul — the competitiveness and educational opportunities.”
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