Geoff Carlston and Brady Starkey knew what they wanted to achieve at Concordia University, but they weren't sure how to get there when they took over the volleyball program in 2000. So the two coaches made a trip to the Division II national championship tournament, to get a feel for the caliber of player they would need to be a title contender.

They went. They saw. And with remarkable speed, they conquered. Starkey, who came to the St. Paul school as Carlston's assistant, became the head coach six years ago and won his first national title last season. In less than 10 years, he has turned a program that went 9-32 in its first Division II season into a favorite to win its second consecutive national championship when it is the host of the tournament this week at the Gangelhoff Center.

A low-key guy usually attired in T-shirts and cargo shorts, Starkey, 39, doesn't fit the image of a coaching prodigy. He wasn't even aware he had reached his 200th victory -- which came when the No. 1-ranked Golden Bears won the Central Region title on Nov. 22 -- until the school's sports information director told him.

"That's not the reason I do this," said Starkey, who is 200-20 overall and 98-2 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play. "I like to win. I'm very competitive. But what I really like, what's really fun for me, is to be a small part of these kids' lives.

"That first year, we had to beg and plead with kids to come here. But we knew we would be good. We're providing these kids with a good experience, and it's cool to see how much fun they have with winning."

The Golden Bears have been having a lot of fun since Starkey came aboard. They are 34-1 this season and were undefeated in conference play for the fourth time in the past five years. Concordia, which will begin play Thursday in the championship tournament against the University of New Haven, is favored to become the first team in 14 years to win back-to-back Division II national titles.

As an assistant coach at Minnetonka High School, and later at the University of St. Thomas, Starkey knew how many talented players the state produced each year. He was convinced -- despite an 0-18 conference record in 1999 -- that Concordia could lure enough of them to become a force. Though the school is tiny by Division II standards, with an undergraduate enrollment of 1,000, Starkey believed its urban location and status as a well-regarded private school worked in its favor.

So did his personality. Starkey has built his program by recruiting players who fit together well and who possess the intelligence to excel in school and absorb the instruction his staff doles out in their intensive practice sessions. He pushes the Golden Bears to the limit in workouts, then allows them to play freely in games.

"He knows volleyball so well," said senior Maria Steinhagen, a two-time all-Central Region middle hitter and academic All-America. "We work so hard in practice to learn everything about the game that it can be exhausting. But then we get on the court to play, and it's all about having fun.

"That's one key to our success, and the other is that we all really like each other. We're all so proud to be part of this program that we want to work hard to keep it going."

As a longtime Junior Olympics coach, Starkey has closely monitored the state's top players for years. When he came to Concordia with Carlston, he recruited them with the promise that they could play right away and take pride in being part of the program's foundation.

The excellence of Minnesota's youth and high school programs meant many players were ready to step in immediately. Three freshmen started in the back row that first year when the Golden Bears went 11-17. Two seasons later, the team finished 24-9, and it has won 91 percent of its games since Starkey became head coach in 2003.

Last week, Starkey was named the Central Region coach of the year for the fourth time in his six-season career. His players -- 13 Minnesotans and one Wisconsinite -- understand they are expected to win every time they step on the court.

That's what happens when a tradition is built. Starkey, though, doesn't want anyone to take it for granted.

"My two little daughters have had a lot of fun with it," he said. "But I'm a little nervous, because all they want to do is win. All they talk about is getting a trophy, but I keep telling them, 'You've got to earn it.' "