BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – The spring segment of the 2025-26 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) tennis season is set to begin this weekend.
A handful of teams were able to take advantage of the fall segment earlier this season. Carleton's women's team went a perfect 3-0 in fall MIAC matches, while the Knights' men's team will open the spring segment with a 2-0 record. The Concordia women's team and St. Olaf men's team also picked up conference wins in the fall.
The MIAC enjoyed an impressive showing at the ITA Midwest Regional Championships in the fall as well. Gustavus senior Gage Gohl won the third men's ITA regional of his collegiate career to earn All-America honors last September. Gohl battled teammate Dominik Knutson for the regional singles title. It was also an all-MIAC matchup in the regional doubles championship, as Gohl and Tyler Haddorff topped Carleton's Jack Rivkin and Akshay Garapai. Gohl went on to reach the national semifinals in the singles draw in October, while he and Haddorff reached the national quarterfinals on the doubles side.
Gusties also shined on the women's side, with Karina Elvestrom and Kaya De Bruijn winning a second straight ITA regional doubles title and Elvestrom running back the singles crown for the second year in a row back in September. Elvestrom and De Bruijn defeated Bethel's Lauryn Douglas and Michaella Sullivan in the doubles championship, while the pair squared off against each other in the singles title match. The duo went on to reach the national quarterfinals of the ITA Cup in October.
The 2025-26 regular season will run through Sunday, April 26, and the conference playoffs will get underway days later. The MIAC Women's Tennis Quarterfinals will take place on Tuesday, April 28, with the Men's Quarterfinals occurring on Wednesday, April 29. The Women's Semifinals will be on Thursday, April 30, followed by the Men's Semifinals the next day. Both the Men's and Women's Playoff championship matches are set for Saturday, May 2. The winner of the MIAC Playoffs will receive the conference's automatic bids to the 2026 NCAA Division III Men's and Women's Tennis Championships. The 2026 NCAA Division III Championships are scheduled for May 19-26, 2026, at the Champions Tennis Club in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
IN THE POLLS
2024-25 FINAL STANDINGS
MIAC Men's Tennis
Gustavus (20-12, 9-0)*#%
Carleton (17-4, 8-1)
Bethel (14-7, 7-2)
St. Olaf (7-8, 5-4)
St. Scholastica (8-9, 4-5)
Concordia (7-10, 4-5)
Macalester (8-9, 3-6)
Saint John's (8-9, 3-6)
Hamline (7-12, 2-7)
Saint Mary's (7-13, 0-9) |
MIAC Women's Tennis
Gustavus (27-8, 10-0)*#%
Carleton (15-4, 9-1)
Bethel (14-6, 8-2)
St. Olaf (13-4, 7-3)
St. Catherine (13-6, 6-4)
St. Scholastica (11-8, 5-5)
Hamline (13-8, 4-6)
Saint Mary's (13-8, 3-7)
Saint Benedict (7-11, 2-8)
Macalester (3-15, 1-9)
Concordia (0-19, 0-10) |
*MIAC Regular Season Champion
#MIAC Playoff Champion
%NCAA Championship Participant |
|
RULE CHANGES
The ITA and NCAA have adopted a seven-point team score format for all Division III dual matches following a one-year pilot conducted last season. The team that wins two of the three doubles matches receives one dual match point. Each singles match is worth one point. Four or more points are required to win the dual match. The three doubles matches will be followed by six singles matches. The format is three 6-game set doubles matches with a 7-point tiebreak at 6-all. Doubles will be followed by six best-of-three set singles matches. Of note, MIAC coaches have voted to pursue utilizing a 10-point super-tiebreaker for the third set of singles. If approved by the NCAA, that adjustment will be effective for all conference matches this season.
AWARD WATCH
The 2025-26 MIAC Tennis All-Conference honors will be announced following the conclusion of the regular season. All-Conference designation is awarded on the basis of a player's win-loss record in MIAC dual meets only. The top 18 players, according to points accrued in both singles and doubles, will receive All-Conference. A men's tennis player must participate in a minimum of five conference matches at any position, and a women's tennis player must participate in a minimum of six conference matches at any position to be eligible for All-Conference. In addition to All-Conference, MIAC coaches will also vote on honorable mention distinction and individual recipients for Singles Player, Doubles Team, Rookie, and Coach of the Year, as well as the senior athlete character awards (Chris Evert Award for women's tennis and Arthur Ashe Award for men's tennis). To be eligible for Rookie of the Year honors, a student-athlete must be a true college first-year student (not a transfer from another institution or an academic sophomore/junior/senior who has not used eligibility.
Throughout the regular season, the MIAC will recognize top individual performances with the MIAC Tennis Athlete of the Week awards. Tennis Athlete of the Week awards will be issued throughout the academic year when at least three MIAC teams have competed in a given week, and nominations for outstanding performances have been submitted.
LOOKING AHEAD
First Non-Conference Match Date: Saturday, January 24
First Conference Match Date: Sunday, January 25
MIAC Playoffs: Tuesday, April 28 (Women's Quarterfinals), Wednesday, April 29 (Men's Quarterfinals), Thursday, April 30 (Women's Semifinals), Friday, May 1 (Men's Semifinals), Saturday, May 2 (Championships)
Men's Season Links: Standings | Schedule | News | Statistics | Athletes of the Week | Playoffs | Record Book
Women's Season Links: Standings | Schedule | News | Statistics | Athletes of the Week | Playoffs | Record Book