FARMINGTON, Minn. – The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Volleyball Playoffs kicked off on Tuesday with a pair of quarterfinal matches.
No. 3 Gustavus defeated No. 6 Carleton, 3-0, while No. 4 Saint Benedict defeated No. 5 Concordia, 3-1. The Gusties and Bennies will join No. 1 Bethel and No. 2 St. Olaf in the semifinals on Thursday.
QUARTERFINAL RESULTS
FINAL | QUARTERFINAL
No. 6 Carleton 0
No. 3 Gustavus 3
Set scores: 25-15, 25-15, 25-17
RECAP
- Gustavus swept the first-ever MIAC Playoff meeting between the programs, avenging a 3-1 loss at Carleton on 10/14.
- Logan Brent led the Gusties with 19 kills and 13 digs, while Greta Tompkins and Meaghan Kreiser each added seven kills.
- Gustavus hit .343 as a team to Carleton's .087 and held a 50-24 edge in kills. Sahara Morken and Macie Malchow combined for 37 assists (20 and 17, respectively).
- The Gusties led in digs, 52-37, with Ella Olson collecting 11, and in service aces, 7-2, with Ava Hahn serving three.
- Carleton's Rachel Bingham led the Knights with five kills, and Aditi Mukhirala had a team-high 11 digs.
NEXT: NO. 3 GUSTAVUS AT NO. 2 ST. OLAF | THURSDAY, 7:00 PM
- Gustavus will now travel to No. 2 St. Olaf for the semifinals on Thursday.
- The Gusties lead the all-time playoff series with the Oles, 3-0. The teams last met in the 2023 championship match, a 3-2 Gustavus win.
- St. Olaf won the 2026 regular season matchup with Gustavus, 3-1, in St. Peter on 10/7.
FINAL | QUARTERFINAL
No. 5 Concordia 1
No. 4 Saint Benedict 3
Set scores: 25-13, 25-20, 22-25, 25-17
RECAP
- Saint Benedict won the first two sets, 25-13 and 25-20, before Concordia took the third, 25-22. The Bennies closed out the match with a 25-17 fourth set.
- Kali Jones led the Bennies with 19 kills and 15 digs, while Kate Stadum added 13 kills, six service aces and nine digs. Karley Dunham had seven kills and four blocks.
- Saint Benedict hit .225 to Concordia's .188 and led in service aces, 11-4. The Bennies finished with 52 kills to the Cobbers' 47, with Izzy Torve (19) and Ginny Schuler (14) combining for 33 assists.
- Concordia's Annie Horan had 17 kills and Wendi Peterson added 12. Betsy Schiltz had 23 assists and 14 digs, and Kelsi Martini led all players with 18 digs.
NEXT: NO. 4 SAINT BENEDICT AT NO. 1 BETHEL | THURSDAY, 7:00 PM
- The defending champion Bennies will now travel to No. 1 Bethel for the semifinals on Thursday.
- The Bennies lead the all-time playoff series with the Royals, 3-2. The teams last met in the 2022 quarterfinals, a 3-1 Saint Benedict win.
- Bethel won the 2026 regular season matchup with Saint Benedict, 3-0, in Arden Hills on 11/4.
SEMIFINALS SET FOR THURSDAY
The Bennies and Gusties advanced to Thursday's semifinals, where they will visit No. 1 Bethel and No. 2 St. Olaf, respectively. Both matches are tentatively scheduled for 7:00 p.m. starts.
No. 4 Saint Benedict at No. 1 Bethel
Thursday, Nov. 12 | 7:00 PM | Robertson Center Gym, Arden Hills
No. 3 Gustavus at No. 2 St. Olaf
Thursday, Nov. 12 | 7:00 PM | Bob Gelle Court at Skoglund Center, Northfield
Thursday's two semifinal winners will meet on Saturday, November 14, in the 2026 MIAC Volleyball Playoff championship match, tentatively scheduled for 7:00 p.m. on the home court of the highest remaining seed. The MIAC Playoff champion will receive the postseason championship trophy and the conference's automatic bid to the 2026 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 14.
The most recent NPI rankings on November 9 list two MIAC women's volleyball teams in the NPI top 50 in NCAA Division III:
The NPI cut line in 2025 was No. 41.
SELECTION MONDAY
- The 64-team bracket for the 2026 NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Championship will be revealed during the Selection Show on Monday, November 16.
- The national championship is scheduled for December 2-5 at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
PLAYOFF APPAREL
Official playoff apparel is available for online purchase via the MIAC Shop powered by UNRestricted MKTG. The online MIAC Shop features officially licensed short-sleeve t-shirts, long-sleeve t-shirts, and hooded sweatshirts to commemorate the 2026 conference tournament. The items available in this store are custom-decorated. Please allow 2-4 weeks for delivery. All apparel items are online-only, custom-made, and all sales are final.
Regular season team champion apparel is available for online purchase now, with playoff team champion apparel set to be released after the conference tournament concludes.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
All tickets for the 2026 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. MIAC passes are accepted. As a reminder, artificial noisemakers are not permitted at any MIAC events.
The 2026 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.
2026 MIAC WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL PLAYOFF SCHEDULE
| Quarterfinals | Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026 | 7:00 PM |
| No. 3 Gustavus 3, No. 6 Carleton 0 |
Box Score |
| No. 4 Saint Benedict 3, No. 5 Concordia 1 |
Box Score |
| Semifinals | Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026 | 7:00 PM |
| No. 4 Saint Benedict at No. 1 Bethel |
Pay-Per-View | Stats | Tickets |
| No. 3 Gustavus at No. 2 St. Olaf |
Pay-Per-View | Stats | Tickets |
| Championship | Saturday, Nov. 14, 2026 | 7:00 PM |
| High-seed host |
Pay-Per-View |
MATCH TIMES ARE TENTATIVE