Derek Montgomery

Saints setter Natalie Yackley has tallied at least 40 assists in six of her last seven matches.

Volleyball 11/5/2025 3:00:00 PM

MIAC Volleyball Notebook - November 5, 2025

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. - The 2025 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) volleyball regular season comes to a close this week.

STAT PACK
The latest MIAC Volleyball Stat Pack as of Wednesday, November 5, can be viewed here.

POLL TALK
Gustavus is ranked No. 21 in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Poll, released on November 3, while St. Olaf received 98 points in the balloting.

The next AVCA Poll is due to be released on Tuesday, November 11.

The Gusties are ranked No. 20 in the NCAA Power Index (NPI), while the Oles are No. 27. The NPI is used to select the 21 at-large bids to the NCAA Division III Tournament after the 43 automatic qualifiers have been determined on November 9. The D3Playbook has projected the NPI cut line for men's soccer at-large candidates to be 43.

PLAYOFF PICTURE
Heading into the final week of regular-season play, St. Olaf (10-0) has locked up at least a share of the regular-season conference title. The Oles can secure that championship outright with a victory over St. Scholastica on Saturday. Regardless of the outcome of that match, St. Olaf will be the No. 1 seed in the MIAC Volleyball Playoffs, a feat the Oles have achieved just one time before in 2010.

At 8-1 with two matches to play, Gustavus has the inside track to the No. 2 seed; however, Saint Benedict (7-2) could leapfrog the Gusties with a pair of Bennie wins and a couple of Gustavus losses. CSB and Bethel (6-3) will play a consequential match on Wednesday that will help determine where each playoff-bound team fits into the tournament bracket.

The match against the Bennies is the first of two pivotal contests for the Royals this week, as BU will finish the regular season against another playoff qualifier, St. Catherine (6-4), on Friday. That matchup will help determine at least the fourth and fifth seeds, and potentially the No. 3 seed as well, depending on how Saint Benedict fares against Bethel (11/5) and Carleton (11/8) this week.

St. Scholastica (5-5), Saint Mary's (4-5), and Augsburg (4-6) all have hope alive for postseason berths, but each may need help on their paths to the playoffs.

That said, the Saints do control their destiny – they are in with a win. However, drawing the undefeated Oles in the regular-season finale on Saturday will make that win no easy task. Falling to 5-6 could leave St. Scholastica on the outside looking in, as a CSS loss plus an Augsburg win over Saint Mary's on Saturday would send the Saints home and the Auggies back to the MIAC Playoffs.

The Cardinals' postseason dreams got a massive boost with a five-set victory over Bethel on 11/1, but SMU's margin for error is practically non-existent from here on out. With wins over Gustavus (11/5) and Augsburg (11/8), Saint Mary's would be well-positioned for – but still not guaranteed – a playoff berth. If both the Cardinals and Saints win out, the 3-2 victory by St. Scholastica over Saint Mary's on 10/4 could effectively determine the final seed in the tournament.

PLAYOFF ADMISSION & PAY-PER-VIEW
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 will go on sale when the playoff field is announced on Saturday.

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.

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 games 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.

NATIONAL NOTABLES
Augsburg sophomore outside hitter Ava Carlson (Cloquet, Minn. / Cloquet) tallied 67 total attacks against UW-Superior on 9/19, good for the seventh-most in any four-set match in NCAA Division III this season.

Hamline senior libero Mandy Dierks (Sioux Falls, S.D. / Roosevelt) recorded nine aces against MSOE on 9/12, tied for the sixth-most in any four-set match in NCAA Division III this season.

Saint Mary's junior middle blocker Kali Olson (New York Mills, Minn. / New York Mills) registered nine total blocks against Ripon on 8/29, tied for the fourth-most in any three-set D-III match this season.

St. Olaf junior middle blocker Maren Miller (Urbandale, Iowa / Des Moines Christian) has the tenth-best hitting percentage in NCAA Division III this season at 0.383. Her hitting percentage of .750 (12-of-16) against Pomona-Pitzer on 8/30 remains the ninth-highest single-match hitting percentage in NCAA Division III this season for a player with between 15-19 total attempts.

St. Olaf senior libero Morgan Ryan (Chanhassen, Minn. / Minnetonka) leads all of NCAA women's volleyball with 647 total digs this season. Ryan ranks seventh in NCAA Division III with an average of 5.94 digs per set this fall.

St. Scholastica senior Natalie Yackley (New Ulm, Minn. / New Ulm) has tallied 998 assists this fall, the eighth-most in NCAA Division III.

AROUND THE MIAC
Augsburg junior setter Jovial King (Caledonia, Minn. / Caledonia) has posted five consecutive assist-dig double-doubles, with 40-plus assists against Macalester (40 on 10/24) and St. Olaf (44 on 11/1), and 20-plus digs against the Scots (22 on 10/24) and St. Catherine (21 on 10/31). King also logged a season-high seven blocks against Macalester on 10/24.

Bethel first-year setter Sophia Rubio (Woodbury, Minn. / St. Croix Lutheran) totaled 78 assists (9.75 per set), seven kills, and 16 digs in a week that included a 3-0 victory over Augsburg on 10/29, and a five-set loss to Saint Mary's on 11/1. Rubio posted 49 assists, six kills, and 10 digs against the Cardinals.

Carleton senior outside hitter Sylvia Dixon (Vienna, Va. / James Madison) had a pair of double-doubles on the road against a pair of conference opponents last week. Dixon posted a 12-kill, 11-dig, 3-ace stat line against Macalester on 10/31 and tallied an 18-kill, 11-dig performance against St. Catherine on 11/1.

Concordia first-year libero Holland Fitterer (Bismarck, N.D. / Century) recorded a career-high 22 digs in the Cobbers' sweep at Hamline on 10/31. She added two assists in the win.

Gustavus first-year setter Sahara Morken (Mabel, Minn. / Mabel Canton) averaged 11.29 assists per set in a 2-0 week for the Gusties. Morken totaled 51 assists and nine digs in a four-set victory over St. Scholastica on 11/1 before adding 28 helpers and five more digs in a sweep of Macalester on 11/1. Her 51 assists are a new career-high.

Hamline sophomore middle blocker Grace Bathurst (Moorhead, Minn. / Moorhead) hit .383 and averaged 4.73 points and 4.0 blocks per set across four matches for the Pipers to close out October. Bathurst tallied double-digit kills in every match and hit north of .400 against conference foes Bethel (10/24) and Carleton (10/25). She added 16 total blocks, ten digs, and four service aces for the week.

Macalester junior setter Hannah Morrow (Raleigh, N.C. / Millbrook) recorded 34 assists and a season-best 27 digs in the Scots' four-set victory over Carleton on 10/31. It was her seventh consecutive assist-dig double-double of the season.

Saint Benedict junior outside hitter Kali Jones (Annandale, Minn. / Annandale) recorded the 32nd double-double of her collegiate career with a 17-kill, 17-dig performance in the Bennies' four-set victory at Saint Mary's on 10/18. Jones hit a season-best .483 on 29 attacks with four service aces and three errors. Jones also eclipsed 800 digs for her career in the win.

St. Catherine senior middle hitter Emily Bredman (Barnesville, Minn. / Barnesville) contributed on both sides of the net with 12 kills, 11 digs, and 11 blocks across nine sets in a pair of Wildcat wins against Augsburg (10/31) and Carleton (11/1). Her six digs and two service aces against the Auggies were both season-highs.

Saint Mary's junior middle blocker Kali Olson (New York Mills, Minn. / New York Mills) hit .315 while averaging 3.08 kills per set in three matches for the Cardinals last week. After recording seven kills in a four-set loss to Wartburg on 10/29, Olson hit .433 with 17 kills and a pair of service aces against St. Olaf on 10/31, and added 16 kills while hitting .394 with three aces in a five-set victory over Bethel on 11/1. Olson accounted for 49.5 points and added ten blocks across the three matches.

St. Olaf senior libero Morgan Ryan (Chanhassen, Minn. / Minnetonka) recorded 75 digs (5.77 per set), 19 assists (1.46 per set), and four aces (0.31 per set) to help the Oles secure their first regular-season MIAC title since 2010 last week. Ryan totaled 20-plus digs in all three matches, including 21 in a four-set win at Saint Mary's on 10/31, 29 in a five-set victory over Augsburg on 11/1, and 25 in a four-set loss to nationally-ranked UW-Eau Claire on 11/1.

St. Scholastica senior setter Natalie Yackley (New Ulm, Minn. / New Ulm) has totaled 40-plus assists in each of her last three matches and in six of her last seven. Yackley tallied 46 helpers and ten digs for a double-double in the Saints' four-set win over Concordia on 10/24. It was her fourth MIAC double-double of the year.

LEAGUE LEADERS

2025 MIAC Statistical Leaders
Overall			MIAC
Kills Per Set	Peyton Howie, Bethel	3.49	Peyton Howie, Bethel	3.82
Digs Per Set	Morgan Ryan, St. Olaf	5.94	Morgan Ryan, St. Olaf	5.77
Hitting Percentage	Maren Miller, St. Olaf	0.383	Maren Miller, St. Olaf	0.414
Blocks Per Set	Mackenzie Knofczynski, Saint Benedict	1.04	Peyton Howie, Bethel	1.09
Service Aces Per Set	Becca Woody, Concordia	0.54	Grace Therrien, Bethel	0.61
Assists Per Set	Sophia Rubio, Bethel	10.03	Sophia Rubio, Bethel	10.52

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