BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – The 2025 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Volleyball Playoffs got underway Tuesday night with a pair of quarterfinal matchups.
No. 3 Saint Benedict swept No. 6 Augsburg, 3-0, while No. 4 Bethel held off No. 5 St. Catherine in four sets.
| 2025 MIAC Volleyball Playoffs |
The Bennies will now match up with No. 2 Gustavus, while the Royals will clash with top-seeded St. Olaf. Both semifinal matches are scheduled for 7:00 p.m. on Thursday.
NO. 3 SAINT BENEDICT 3, NO. 6 AUGSBURG 0 | Box Score |
Saint Benedict handled its business efficiently on Tuesday night, sweeping Augsburg for a 3-0 victory to open the 2025 MIAC Volleyball Playoffs. The Bennies won their sets by scores of 25-15, 25-13, and 25-11. First-year middle blocker Keira McManus led CSB with 11 kills, while junior opposite Brooke Andries hit a match-high 0.857 with six kills, three digs, and a pair of blocks in three sets. Izzy Torve was a dig shy of a double-double with 18 assists and nine digs. Jovial King led the Auggies with a match-high 22 assists, with Taliah Triggs contributing 11 kills for Augsburg.
NO. 4 BETHEL 3, NO. 5 ST. CATHERINE 1 | Box Score |
Bethel bounced back from a six-point loss in the first set to win the next three against St. Catherine and head back to the conference semifinals for the second consecutive season. After a 25-19 Wildcat win in the opening frame, Bethel claimed victories of 25-20, 25-18, and 25-22 to take the match, 3-1. The play of junior middle blocker Peyton Howie was critical to the Royals' rally. Howie hit .514 against the Wildcats and posted a season-high 22 kills in the win. Bethel sophomore outside hitter Hannah Penke turned in a 15-kill, 10-dig double-double, while first-year setter Sophia Rubio collected a double-double of her own, directing traffic with 46 assists and 13 digs. Senior middle blocker Madison Fagan led the Wildcats with a .357 hitting percentage and 12 kills to go along with six total blocks and a service ace.
SEMIFINALS SET FOR THURSDAY
The semifinal round of the conference tournament is set for 7:00 p.m. on Thursday.
No. 4 Bethel will now head to Northfield for a meeting with No. 1 St. Olaf in the semifinals. The two programs are an even 2-2 in playoff matchups all-time, with the Royals earning a win in their most recent postseason meeting during last year's quarterfinals. Bethel won that match, 3-1. The Oles flipped the script this past September with a four-set victory of their own on the Royals' home court on 9/26.
For the third time in the last four seasons, Gustavus will host Saint Benedict in the semifinals. The Bennies are 4-2 all-time in playoff matchups with the Gusties, and upset No. 1 Gustavus in last year's MIAC semifinals as a No. 4 seed, on their way to winning the playoff title. Gustavus, however, claimed the 2025 regular-season matchup with Saint Ben's in four sets on 9/26.
CHAMPIONSHIP SATURDAY
Thursday's two semifinal winners will meet on Saturday, November 15, in the 2025 MIAC Volleyball Playoff championship match. The match is tentatively scheduled for 7:00 p.m. on the home court of the highest remaining seed. The MIAC Playoff champion will receive the playoff championship trophy and the Conference's automatic bid to the 2025 NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Tournament.
NPI OUTLOOK
The NCAA Power Index (NPI) is used to select the 21 at-large bids for the 64-team NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Tournament after the 43 automatic qualifiers have been determined on November 15. The D3Playbook has projected the NPI cut line for volleyball at-large candidates to be at No. 43. The most recent NPI rankings on November 11 list St. Olaf at No. 28 and Gustavus at No. 32, well-positioned for at-large berths, while Saint Benedict (No. 62) and Bethel (No. 120) would need to secure the automatic qualifier - by way of a playoff championship - to go dancing next week.
PLAYOFF ADMISSION
All tickets for the 2025 MIAC Playoffs will be sold and purchased online via HomeTown Ticketing. There will not be cash sales at any venue; however, spectators can purchase tickets using a mobile device, including while at the venue. Tickets are available for purchase immediately. General admission adult tickets are $12 (plus HTT service charge). Student (with ID) tickets are $3 (plus HTT service charge), and children ages five and under are admitted free. As a reminder, artificial noisemakers are not permitted at any MIAC events.
PAY-PER-VIEW
The 2025 MIAC Volleyball Playoffs will be streamed live on the MIAC Sports Network in a pay-per-view format. Individual playoff contests will be streamed for $10 each, or $25 for a "championship pass" to stream the entire tournament live. On-demand access to playoff matches will be available after the NCAA Tournament concludes.
The MIAC Sports Network Help Page provides guidance and links to help fans navigate the streaming platform. Hudl Customer Support is also available by email or 24/7 chat to assist with any issues.