FARMINGTON, Minn. – The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Volleyball Playoffs continued on Thursday with two semifinal matches.
No. 1 Bethel defeated No. 4 Saint Benedict, 3-1, while No. 3 Gustavus defeated No. 2 St. Olaf, 3-1. The Royals and Gusties will now meet in the MIAC Volleyball Playoff Championship. Bethel will host at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday in Arden Hills.
SEMIFINAL RESULTS
FINAL | SEMIFINAL
No. 4 Saint Benedict 1
No. 1 Bethel 3
Set scores: 25-21, 21-25, 25-16, 30-28
RECAP
- Bethel took the first set, 25-21, before Saint Benedict evened the match with a 25-21 second set. The Royals won the third, 25-16, and closed the match with a 30-28 decision in a marathon fourth set.
- Grace Bathurst led Bethel with 16 kills, Peyton Howie added 15 kills and five blocks, and Hannah Penke had nine kills. Ellie Van Namen dished out 29 assists, and Grace Therrien collected 34 digs.
- Bethel hit .230 to Saint Benedict's .174 and led in kills, 64-61, and digs, 110-93.
- Saint Benedict's Kali Jones had 22 kills and 18 digs, Brooke Andries added 13 kills, and Izzy Torve (23) and Ginny Schuler (19) combined for 42 assists. Ingrid Noha had 21 digs.
CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH HISTORY
- Saturday will be Bethel's fifth championship match appearance and the program's first since 2021.
- The Royals have won one MIAC Playoff title (2001) in four championship match appearances (2001, 2015, 2016, 2021).
FINAL | SEMIFINAL
No. 3 Gustavus 3
No. 2 St. Olaf 1
Set scores: 24-26, 25-22, 25-16, 25-22
RECAP
- St. Olaf took the first set, 26-24, before Gustavus won the next three, 25-22, 25-16, and 25-22.
- Logan Brent led the Gusties with 22 kills and 14 digs, while Meaghan Kreiser added 11 kills and Lauren Barker had nine. Lainie Barrick had five blocks.
- Ava Hahn served seven of Gustavus' 10 aces and had 23 digs. Sahara Morken (25) and Macie Malchow (21) combined for 46 assists.
- Gustavus hit .192 to St. Olaf's .150 and led in kills, 59-49.
- St. Olaf's Lilah Van Scoyoc had 14 kills and five blocks, while Maren Miller had nine kills and a team-high six blocks. Michaela Dooley led the Oles with 21 digs.
CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH HISTORY
- Saturday will be the Gusties' eighth title match appearance and the program's first since 2023.
- Gustavus has won six MIAC Playoff titles (2015, 2016, 2018, 2021, 2022, 2023) in seven championship match appearances (2008).
CHAMPIONSHIP SET FOR SATURDAY
The Royals and Gusties advanced to Saturday's championship match, where Bethel will host Gustavus. The match is tentatively scheduled for a 7:00 p.m. start.
No. 3 Gustavus at No. 1 Bethel
Saturday, Nov. 14 | 7:00 PM | Robertson Center Gym, Arden Hills
- The Gusties lead the all-time playoff series with the Royals, 3-0.
- All three previous playoff meetings came in the championship match (2015, 2016, and 2021), with Gustavus winning each by a 3-1 score.
- Bethel won the 2026 regular-season matchup with Gustavus, 3-1, in St. Peter on 10/17.
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 11 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.
NCAA TOURNAMENT
- 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. 1 Bethel 3, No. 4 Saint Benedict 1 |
Box Score |
| No. 3 Gustavus 3, No. 2 St. Olaf 1 |
Box Score |
| Championship | Saturday, Nov. 14, 2026 | 7:00 PM |
| No. 3 Gustavus at No. 1 Bethel |
Pay-Per-View | Stats | Tickets |
MATCH TIMES ARE TENTATIVE