NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The second-seeded St. Olaf College volleyball team will host third-seeded Gustavus Adolphus College in the semifinals of the 2026 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Volleyball Playoffs on Thursday evening.

After securing the No. 2 seed and a bye into the semifinals during the regular season, St. Olaf (23-7) will meet up with Gustavus (19-11) at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 12 at Skoglund Center for a spot in the championship match. The Gusties swept sixth-seeded Carleton College at home in the quarterfinals on Tuesday evening.

Regular-season champion and top-seeded Bethel University will host the fourth-seeded College of Saint Benedict in Thursday's other semifinal at 7 p.m. in Arden Hills. The Bennies got past fifth-seeded Concordia-Moorhead in four sets on Tuesday night in St. Joesph. The winners of Thursday's semifinals will meet for the playoff title and the conference's automatic bid into the NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Championship at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 14 at the site of the highest remaining seed.

The game will be streamed live on the MIAC Sports Network in a pay-per-view format. Prices are $10 for any individual match or $25 for a "championship pass", which is good for the entire tournament. Games will not be available on demand until after the NCAA Tournament concludes. Live statistics will also be available. All tickets will be sold and purchased online via HomeTown Ticketing. Prices (plus fees) are $12 for general admission, $3 for students with ID, and children five and under are admitted for free.

St. Olaf is making its ninth consecutive and 17th overall appearance (2000-02, 2005, 2008-10, 2012, 2017-19, 2021-26) in the MIAC Playoffs and is 18-14 all-time in the tournament. The Oles have won the tournament on three occasions (2000, 2002, 2010) and are in the semifinals for the 13th time. St. Olaf is 7-5 in its previous 12 semifinal matches and fell in the title match last year.

Gustavus is in the MIAC Playoffs for the 12th time in a row and the 16th time overall (2000, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2011, 2014-19, 2021-26). The Gusties' six MIAC Playoff titles (2015-16, 2018, 2021-23) are the most of any current member of the conference and one shy of the University of St. Thomas for the most in conference annals. Gustavus is 14-10 all-time in the tournament and has lost in the semifinals in each of the last two seasons after winning three straight titles from 2021-23.

During that run of three titles in a row, Gustavus defeated St. Olaf each year, edging the Oles in five sets in the championship matches in 2022 and 2023 after sweeping St. Olaf in the semifinals in 2021. Those three matches are the only playoff meetings between the two programs. During the regular season, the Oles picked up their first win in St. Peter since 2010 with a four-set victory on Oct. 7, which was St. Olaf's second win in a row in the series. Gustavus had won 14 of the last 15 meetings between the two programs prior to 2025.