BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – The 2025 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Volleyball Playoffs continued on Thursday night with a pair of semifinal matches.
No. 1 St. Olaf swept No. 4 Bethel, 3-0, while No. 3 Saint Benedict outlasted No. 2 Gustavus, 3-2.
| 2025 MIAC Volleyball Playoffs |
St. Olaf will now host Saint Benedict in the MIAC Volleyball Playoff Championship at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday.
NO. 1 ST. OLAF 3, NO. 4 BETHEL 0 | Box Score |
The regular season MIAC champions cruised to victory on their home court Thursday, as St. Olaf swept Bethel, 3-0, to advance on to the MIAC Volleyball Playoff Championship for the third time in four seasons. St. Olaf won the three sets by scores of 25-8, 25-18, and 25-16. The Ole offense was led by sophomore outside hitter Mehsa Krause, who posted a 14-kill, 14-dig double-double, while senior setter Paige Christophersen turned in a 21-assist, 10-dig double-double of her own. MIAC Defensive Player of the Year Morgan Ryan tallied a match-high 16 digs for the Oles. Bethel first-year setter and MIAC Rookie of the Year honoree Sophia Rubio led the Royals with 20 assists.
The Oles now head to the MIAC Playoff title match for the third time in the last four seasons. St. Olaf is 2-5 in volleyball playoff championship bouts since the conference adopted its current postseason format in 2001. The Oles previously won MIAC Playoff titles in 2002 and 2010.
NO. 3 SAINT BENEDICT 3, NO. 2 GUSTAVUS 2 | Box Score |
The defending MIAC playoff champions will be back in the title match to defend their crown, as No. 3 Saint Benedict defeated No. 2 Gustavus in five sets on Thursday night. Gustavus took the first set, 25-22, before Saint Benedict claimed the next two by scores of 25-22 and 25-18. The Gusties forced a fifth frame with a 25-19 victory in set No. 4, but could not hold off the CSB attack, falling to Saint Ben's, 15-11, in the final set. Izzy Torve and Ginny Schuler each turned in assist-dig double-doubles for the Bennies, while Kali Jones was one kill shy of a kill-dig double-double with 23 digs and nine kills for CSB. Sydney Timm tallied the first MIAC triple-double of the season for the Gusties, posting 18 assists, 12 digs, and ten kills in the five-set match. Gustavus senior outside hitter Leah Berg notched 12 digs and ten kills for a double-double of her own.
Saint Benedict will now make its tenth championship match appearance in program history on Saturday. The Bennies are 3-6 all-time in playoff title bouts, with previous championship wins coming in 2009, 2017, and 2024.
CHAMPIONSHIP SATURDAY
No. 1 St. Olaf and No. 3 Saint Benedict will meet on Saturday, November 15, in the 2025 MIAC Volleyball Playoff championship match.
The Oles and Bennies have met in the MIAC Playoff Championship just once before, when Saint Benedict swept St. Olaf in the 2009 title match. That is CSB's only playoff victory to date against St. Olaf, however. The Oles have won the last three matchups in the MIAC postseason - all semifinal contests - in 2010, 2019, and 2023. The 2025 regular season matchup also went the Oles' way, as St. Olaf claimed a four-set road win over Saint Benedict on 10/24.
First serve is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. at Skoglund Center in Northfield. 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 most recent NPI rankings on November 13 list St. Olaf at No. 28, Gustavus at No. 32, and Saint Benedict at No. 61. The D3Playbook has projected the NPI cut line for volleyball at-large candidates to be at No. 43.
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.
2025 MIAC VOLLEYBALL PLAYOFF SCHEDULE
Quarterfinals | Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025 | 7:00 PM |
No. 3 Saint Benedict 3, No. 6 Augsburg 0 | Box Score |
No. 4 Bethel 3, No. 5 St. Catherine 1 | Box Score |
Semifinals | Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025 | 7:00 PM |
No. 1 St. Olaf 3, No. 4 Bethel 0 | Box Score |
No. 3 Saint Benedict 3, No. 2 Gustavus 2 | Box Score |
Championship | Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025 | 7:00 PM |
No. 3 Saint Benedict at No. 1 St. Olaf | PPV Stream | Live Stats | Tickets |