ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – The College of Saint Benedict volleyball team is dancing for the second straight year and 25th time in school history.

Fresh off a second straight MIAC Tournament title, the Bennies (21-6) clinched the league's automatic berth and secured their 25th trip to the NCAA Division III Tournament. The journey continues Thursday, Nov. 20, when Saint Benedict squares off with a familiar foe: No. 17 Washington University. First serve is set for 11:30 a.m. in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, marking the second consecutive year the teams will meet in the regional.

They'll be part of a stacked bracket. Later that day, No. 18 Dubuque takes on Cornell at 2 p.m., followed by Edgewood and No. 23 Gustavus Adolphus at 4:30 p.m. Host and fourth-ranked UW–Oshkosh closes Thursday's action with a 7 p.m. showdown against Greenville.

The winners advance to Friday's semifinals, where Saint Benedict or WashU will face the Dubuque/Cornell victor at 4:30 p.m. On the other side of the bracket, the Oshkosh/Greenville winner meets the Edgewood/Gustavus winner at 7 p.m. The regional championship is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 22, at 5 p.m.

For the Bennies, the postseason push has been built on momentum. Saint Benedict, directed by head coach Nicole Hess (293 wins at CSB and 357 overall with 10 NCAA berths), closed the regular season with six straight wins, then rolled that confidence into the MIAC Tournament. As the No. 3 seed, CSB swept No. 6 Augsburg in the opening round before edging second-seeded—and then-No. 23—Gustavus Adolphus in a five-set thriller on the road. In the title match, the Bennies delivered a dramatic reverse sweep over top-seeded St. Olaf to claim their fourth MIAC Tournament championship (2009, 2017, 2024, 2025).

Nationally, the program brings a long postseason résumé: a 23–24 all-time NCAA Tournament record, Elite Eight runs in 2019 and 2008, a Final Four appearance in 1990, and eight trips to the Sweet 16. This year marks the program's 25th berth, adding 2025 to a list that spans nearly four decades.