ST. PAUL, Minn. – The St. Olaf College volleyball team will take on the University of St. Thomas in the championship match of the 2019 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Volleyball Playoffs on Saturday evening at Schoenecker Arena in St. Paul.

Second-seeded St. Olaf advanced to its first MIAC Playoff title match since 2010 by topping third-seeded and No. 13-ranked Saint Ben's in four sets in the semifinals on Thursday night at home. The top-seeded and No. 15-ranked Tommies booked their spot in the championship match by rallying from two sets to none down on its home court to edge fourth-seeded and No. 17-ranked Augsburg in five sets in Thursday night's other semifinal.

The winner of the match will receive the MIAC's automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament, while the loser will have to wait until the selection show at 11:30 a.m. CT on Monday, Nov. 11 to find out for sure if it has made the 64-team tournament via an at-large bid.

In accordance with conference policy, tickets for the match are $10 for adults and $2 for students with ID. Children five and younger are free and MIAC passes will be honored.

The Oles are playing for the MIAC Playoff title for the first time since winning the tournament with a sweep of St. Thomas in 2010. St. Olaf is 3-2 all-time in MIAC Playoff championship matches, winning titles in 2000, 2002 and 2010, and dropping the final in 2001 and 2009. The Tommies are playing for their league-high seventh MIAC Playoff title, winning previously in 2005, 2007, 2008, 2012, 2013 and 2014.

Saturday night's matchup marks the ninth head-to-head meeting between the two programs in the MIAC Playoffs, with both teams owning four victories in the first eight contests. St. Olaf has won both the previous meetings with a MIAC Playoff title on the line (2002, 2010) and St. Thomas has eliminated the Oles from the tournament in each of the last two seasons (quarterfinals in 2018, semifinals in 2017).

St. Olaf is making its 11th all-time appearance in the MIAC Playoffs, which began in 2000, and holds a record of 13-8 through its 21 matches in the tournament after Thursday night's win. The No. 2 seed is St. Olaf's highest in the MIAC Playoffs since winning the title in 2010 as the No. 1 seed.

The Oles' 26 victories this season are the program's most since 2010, when St. Olaf went 31-5 on its way to the regional final. St. Olaf was picked sixth in the MIAC Preseason Coaches' Poll this fall but defeated three of the teams picked to finish ahead of the Oles to finish in a three-way tie for second in the regular season.

St. Olaf owns three victories over nationally-ranked opponents this season, defeating then-No. 11 Augsburg on Oct. 2, then-No. 5 Saint Ben's on Oct. 12 and No. 13 Saint Ben's on Thursday night. The then-No. 18-ranked Tommies defeated St. Olaf in the MIAC opener for both programs back on Sept. 18 in four sets (20-25, 25-20, 25-23, 25-15) after St. Olaf took the opener.