St. Olaf senior libero Morgan Ryan leads all levels of NCAA volleyball with 316 digs this season.
Hannah Robb
St. Olaf senior libero Morgan Ryan leads all levels of NCAA volleyball with 316 digs this season.

Volleyball

MIAC Volleyball Notebook - September 23, 2025

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. - League play begins this week for Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) volleyball teams, with ten conference matches scheduled over the next five days.


STAT PACK
The latest MIAC Volleyball Stat Pack as of Tuesday, September 23, can be viewed here.


POLL TALK
Gustavus is ranked No. 21 in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Poll, released on September 23, while St. Olaf received 13 points in the balloting.
 
The next AVCA Poll is due to be released on Tuesday, September 30.


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

Concordia first-year middle hitter Annie Horan (Moorhead, Minn. / Moorhead) collected ten total blocks against Luther on 8/29, tied for the fourth-most in any five-set match in Division III this fall.

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

St. Olaf senior libero Morgan Ryan (Chanhassen, Minn. / Minnetonka) leads all levels of NCAA volleyball with 316 digs this season. Her 6.08 digs per set this season ranks seventh in NCAA Division III.

St. Scholastica senior Natalie Yackley (New Ulm, Minn. / New Ulm) has tallied 486 assists this fall, the tenth-most in NCAA Division III. Yackley tallied 58 assists against Monmouth on 9/13, tied for the fourth-most in any five-set match in Division III this season.


AROUND THE MIAC
Augsburg sophomore outside hitter Ava Carlson (Cloquet, Minn. / Cloquet) tallied 17 kills, four service aces, and eight digs in a three-set win over Bethany Lutheran on 9/3 before adding 16 kills and 12 digs in a four-set win over UW-La Crosse to open the Auggie Invitational on 9/5. She posted a career-high 19 kills, three aces, and 17 digs for her 10th career kill-dig double-double in a five-set loss to Minnesota Morris on 9/5, and went on to register 12 kills and eight digs in a three-set win over Lakeland in addition to 12 kills, three aces, and six digs in a three-set win over Grinnell on 9/6.
 
Bethel first-year setter Sophia Rubio (Woodbury, Minn. / St. Croix Lutheran) totaled 95 assists (11.88 per set) and orchestrated the Royals' offense to hitting percentages of .239 and .205 in victories over Lakeland and UW-Stevens Point on 9/20. Rubio posted 48 assists against Lakeland and 47 against UW-Stevens Point at the Pointers' home invitational on 9/20. She added 25 digs, four kills, and four service aces for the weekend.
 
Carleton junior right side Rachel Bingham (Lake Quivira, Kan. / Shawnee Mission East) was named to the Falcon Invite All-Tournament Team after averaging 3.00 kills and 1.67 digs per set in the Knights' three matches at UW-River Falls. After recording 11 kills against Simpson and nine against Nebraska Wesleyan on 9/5, Bingham matched her career-high with 16 kills against tournament host UW-River Falls on 9/6.
 
Concordia first-year middle hitter Annie Horan (Moorhead, Minn. / Moorhead) made an immediate impact for the Cobbers in her collegiate debut with 10 total blocks against Luther on 8/29, holding the Norse to a .020 hitting percentage, while also adding nine kills. Horan followed with three blocks against Nebraska Wesleyan (8/30) before helping power Concordia to a sweep of Crown (8/30), where she hit .313 with eight kills and just three errors to go along with five more blocks.
 
Gustavus sophomore setter Macie Malchow (Sioux Falls, S.D. / Washington) averaged 8.36 assists per set with 117 helpers in total to lead the Gusties to four match victories at the Loras Invitational on 9/12-13. After recording 35 combined assists in three-set sweeps over Loras and Edgewood on 9/12, Malchow posted 33 assists in a four-set win over Cornell and a season-best 49 assists in a 3-1 win over Coe on 9/13.
 
Hamline sophomore middle blocker Grace Bathurst (Moorhead, Minn. / Moorhead) led the Pipers with 28 kills in a 3-0 weekend at the Augustana Vikings Classic on 9/12-13. Bathurst tallied a season-high 14 kills against the host Vikings on 9/13. She was named to the All-Tournament Team for her performance.
 
Macalester sophomore outside hitter Adonia Anene (North Hollywood, Calif. / The Buckley School) averaged 14.0 kills and 13.0 digs in two games against ranked opponents at the Carleton/St. Olaf Invitational on 9/20. In a 3-1 win over UChicago, Anene had 15 kills, 12 digs, four service aces, and a .275 hitting percentage to lead the Scots. Against Dubuque, Anene tallied 13 kills and 14 digs in a 3-1 defeat.
 
Saint Benedict senior libero Chaeli Haupert (West Lake, Texas / Fort Worth Christian) collected 31 digs in a pair of matches hosted by Coe on 9/13, tallying 15 digs in a three-set loss against the host Kohawks and 16 digs in a four-set win over Cornell. Haupert recorded her third consecutive double-digit dig performance on 9/17 with 14 digs in a four-set loss to nationally-ranked UW-Eau Claire.
 
St. Catherine senior outside hitter Liz Rosen (Clear Lake, Wis. / Clear Lake) has recorded double-digit digs in four straight matches, including a season-high 19 in a four-set win over Marian on 9/13. Rosen narrowly missed out on her first double-double of the season against nationally-ranked UW-Whitewater on 9/13 with 11 digs and nine kills in a four-set loss to the Warhawks.
 
Saint Mary's junior middle blocker Kali Olson (New York Mills, Minn. / New York Mills) hit a season-best 0.522 in a sweep of Martin Luther on 9/20. Olson collected 12 kills, three total blocks, and a pair of digs in the win.
 
St. Olaf junior outside hitter Evelyn Kreft (Becker, Minn. / Becker) registered a team-high 33 kills (3.00 per set) while hitting .212 on the outside in the Oles' 3-0 weekend at the Carleton/St. Olaf Invitational on 9/19-20. Kreft had a career-high 15 kills and hit .355 in a five-set win over national vote-getter UChicago on 9/19 before adding 13 more in a sweep of No. 1 UW-Whitewater on 9/20.
 
St. Scholastica senior middle blocker Ava Swangstue (Grand Forks, N.D. / Red River) hit .427 with 51 kills on 96 attempts in a 3-1 showing for the Saints at the UW-La Crosse Invitational on 9/12-13. Swangstue recorded at least 10 kills in every match, including a season-best 16 in a win over Luther on 9/13. Swangstue also recorded a season-high hitting percentage of 0.733 in a sweep of Martin Luther on 9/12.


UP NEXT
Tuesday, September 23
7:00 PM | St. Catherine at UW-River Falls
7:00 PM | Concordia at Mayville State
 
Wednesday, September 24
7:00 PM | Carleton at St. Olaf*
7:00 PM | St. Scholastica at Augsburg*
 
Thursday, September 25
7:00 PM | Macalester at Hamline*
 
Friday, September 26
5:00 PM | Augsburg vs. Carthage (at Wartburg)
7:00 PM | Saint Benedict at Gustavus*
7:00 PM | Saint Mary's at Carleton*
7:00 PM | St. Catherine at Concordia*
7:00 PM | St. Olaf at Bethel*

Saturday, September 27
9:30 AM | Augsburg at Wartburg
2:30 PM | Augsburg vs. Cornell (at Wartburg)
5:00 PM | Gustavus at St. Catherine*
5:00 PM | Macalester at St. Scholastica*
7:00 PM | Hamline at Saint Benedict*

*MIAC match


LEAGUE LEADERS

2025 MIAC Statistical Leaders
Overall MIAC
Kills Per Set Peyton Howie, Bethel 3.00 -- --
Digs Per Set Maren Sundberg, Gustavus 5.14 -- --
Hitting Percentage Peyton Howie, Bethel 0.329 -- --
Blocks Per Set Annie Horan, Concordia 1.24 -- --
Service Aces Per Set Becca Woody, Concordia 0.67 -- --
Assists Per Set Sophia Rubio, Bethel 9.80 -- --