ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – After its fifth straight playoff win, the College of Saint Benedict volleyball team is returning to the MIAC Playoffs Championship. With a five-game winning streak, the third-seeded Bennies (20-6) will travel to Northfield for a 7 p.m. showdown on Saturday, Nov. 15, with top-seeded St. Olaf (27-6) at the Skoglund Center.

Saint Benedict, the defending MIAC Playoff champion, punched its return ticket to the title match with a dramatic 3–2 road win over No. 23 and second-seeded Gustavus Adolphus on Nov. 13 in St. Peter. That victory followed a dominant 3–0 home sweep of No. 6 Augsburg in the quarterfinals two days earlier. The pair of postseason wins boosts CSB's all-time MIAC Playoff total to 26 in the program's 23rd tournament appearance. The Bennies previously claimed playoff titles in 2009, 2017, and 2024.

Last fall, CSB captured the crown as a No. 4 seed and clinched a berth in the NCAA Division III Championships. Now, after their fifth straight MIAC playoff win and second consecutive road upset of Gustavus, the Bennies will face regular-season champion St. Olaf for the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA DIII Tournament. It will be the second championship meeting between the two programs—and the first since 2009—while Saturday marks their sixth playoff clash overall. St. Olaf has won four of the previous five, including semifinal victories in 2010, 2019, and 2023, though CSB swept the Oles in the 2009 title match. St. Olaf took the regular-season meeting this year in four sets on Oct. 24 in St. Joseph.

Ticket and Broadcast Information
All tickets for the 2025 MIAC Playoffs are being sold online through HomeTown Ticketing. General admission tickets are $12 for adults and $3 for students with ID, while children under five are admitted free. No cash sales will be accepted at the venue.

Saturday's match will be streamed live on the MIAC Sports Network as part of the conference's pay-per-view coverage. Individual game streams are available for $10, or fans can purchase a $25 "championship pass" to watch the entire tournament.

CSB edges past No. 2 seed GAC
The win over Gustavus Adolphus also marked Saint Benedict's 20th of the season—its 21st 20-win campaign in program history. In the 22-25, 25-22, 25-18, 19-25, 15-11 win over the Gusties in St. Peter, Minn., junior Brooke Andries led a deep and balanced offense with 10 kills on 31 swings (.226). She was one of six Bennies to finish with six or more kills. Senior Mackenzie Knofczynski turned in a standout all-around performance with nine kills (.273), three of CSB's nine aces, and four blocks.

First-year Keira McManus added nine kills (.250), tied a school record with six blocks, and collected seven digs. Senior McKenna Moehrle was exceptional at the net with six kills and a career-best seven blocks. Kate Stadum added eight kills and a block, while Kali Jones contributed nine kills and a team-high 23 digs, plus two aces.

Setters Ginny Schuler (19 assists, 11 digs) and Izzy Torve (21 assists, 12 digs) each posted double-doubles. Senior defensive anchor Chaeli Haupert added 16 digs, pushing her career total to 1,288.

CSB controlled the net all night, finishing with 11 team blocks along with 52 kills and 95 digs.

Bennies at a Glance
Under longtime head coach Nicole Hess, CSB continues to be one of the MIAC's most consistent programs. Hess has guided the Bennies to a 292–147 (356-279 overall) career record at Saint Benedict and another top-three conference finish this fall.

First-year Keira McManus was named the MIAC Offensive Player of the Week on Nov. 10 after averaging 4.0 kills and hitting .367. On Nov. 12, junior Kali Jones and senior Mackenzie Knofczynski were named to the All-MIAC first team. This marks the fourth consecutive year that two or more CSB players have earned first-team All-MIAC recognition. The program has seen at least one student-athlete honored by the conference every season since the mid-1980s. Jones was All-MIAC first team for the first time and Knofczynski becomes the 34th two-time honoree in school history. Jones was honorable mention All-MIAC a year ago while Knofczynski earned her second All-MIAC honor (2023, 2025) and was honorable mention All-MIAC a year ago. 

By the Numbers
CSB ranks among the MIAC's best in several key categories:

• 3rd – Points per set (15.96)
• 5th – Hitting percentage (.170)
• 6th – Assists per set (10.81)
• 6th – Kills per set (11.70)
• 2nd – Blocks per set (1.84)
• 1st – Service aces per set (2.34)
• 3rd – Digs per set (17.37)

Key Contributors:

• Kali Jones (Jr., OH) is one of the MIAC's most complete players, ranking:
  • 12th in kills (2.74/set, 260 total)
  • 5th in points (3.43/set, 325.5 total)
  • 8th in digs (3.78/set, 359 total)
  • 2nd in aces (0.49/set, 47 total)
    Jones has 13 double-digit kill matches this season and 34 career double-doubles. She has 817 career kills, 907 digs, and 121 service aces.
• Chaeli Haupert (Sr., L) has 1,288 career digs (10th all-time at CSB) and ranks 4th in the MIAC this season (4.24 digs/set – 411 total). She's posted double-digit digs in 21 matches, including a career-high 31 digs vs. Concordia. In the MIAC Playoffs first round, she had nine digs and added 16 against GAC.
• Izzy Torve (So., S)  is tied for 5th in the MIAC in aces (0.486/set) and 11th in assists (5.23/set). She has seven double-doubles this season and a career-best 34 assists vs. Cornell.
• Mackenzie Knofczynski (Sr., MB) is the MIAC's blocking leader (1.01/set, 98 total). She recently surpassed 800 career kills (826) and has 346 career blocks.
• McKenna Moehrle (Sr., MH) provides a veteran presence with 101 kills this season, bringing her career totals to 395 kills and 135 blocks (64 this year).
• Keira McManus (Fr., OH) has had an impressive first year, averaging 2.08 kills/set (.216). She notched a career-high 19 kills vs. Concordia and hit .522 on 13 kills in the sweep of Carleton. McManus had a career-best six blocks in the playoff semifinal win over Gustavus Adolphus.

Scouting the Oles
St. Olaf, which is directed by MIAC 2025 Coach of the Year Alicia Wood (2^nd season), has gone 26-7 this year with an 11-0 record in the MIAC for the regular season title. St. Olaf ranks second in hitting at .204 percent and first in assist as 12.21 in the MIAC. In addition, the Oles sit first in kills/set at 13.11 while ranking seventh in blocks at 1.67. They are sixth in services aces at 1.71/set and digs at 16.93/set. Mehsa Krausee is 10^th in the MIAC with 2.88 kills/set while Maren Miller sits first in hitting percentage at .373. Paige Christopherson ranks ninth in assists at 6.30/set and third in service aces at 0.49/set.