BLOOMINGTON, Minn. - The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) released the 2019 Volleyball Coaches' Preseason Poll with the Wildcats picked to finish ninth with 46 points for the second consecutive season. Prior to the beginning of each season the MIAC coaches' vote for every team in the conference except their own team to rank each program in order of highest point total to lowest with vote totals.
St. Catherine got back above the .500 mark for the first time since 2015 last season, going 14-12 overall. With nine returning and eight newcomers, the Wildcats' look to improve on last season's record and have a chance at the 2019 MIAC Playoffs in 2019.
St. Kate's will get a taste of unfamiliar competition with four non-conference tournament matches scheduled at Birmingham-Southern College in Alabama on opening weekend.
Opening the season with two matches Friday, St. Kate's will take on LaGrange College and Birmingham-Southern College, respectively. On day two the tournament in Alabama, St. Kate's faces Brevard College followed by a match with Covenant College to wrap-up the road trip.
The home season starts on Wednesday, September 4 at 7 p.m. against Martin Luther College for the Welcome Back Match. Followed by a series of away matches, St. Catherine returns home again on September 17 hosting the University of Northwestern-St. Paul Eagles for Faculty Appreciation night before traveling to Moorhead to take on Concordia College in the first match of the conference season.
The College of Saint Benedict Bennies are set to be the Wildcats' first conference match at
Butler Center on Wednesday, September 25 at 7 p.m. on Purple Rain and Camper Reunion night.
The full 2019 schedule can be found at
here.
Complete 2019 Preseason Coaches' Poll
Coaches voted for every team in the conference except their own team. Points were assigned for each vote (11 for first, 10 for second, etc.) Teams are ranked in order of highest point total to lowest with vote totals listed and first-place votes shown in parentheses.
| 2019 MIAC Volleyball Preseason Coaches' Poll |
| Rank |
Institution (First-Place Votes) |
Total |
| 1. |
Saint Benedict (7) |
114 |
| 2. |
Gustavus (3) |
106 |
| 3. |
St. Thomas (1) |
99 |
| 4. |
Augsburg (1) |
90 |
| 5. |
Bethel |
83 |
| 6. |
St. Olaf |
82 |
| 7. |
Saint Mary's |
53 |
| 8. |
Concordia |
50 |
| 9. |
St. Catherine |
46 |
| 10. |
Hamline |
28 |
| 11. |
Carleton |
25 |
| 12. |
Macalester |
16 |
2019 MIAC Volleyball Playoffs
The 2019 MIAC Volleyball Playoffs will feature the top six teams in the Conference standings playing in a high-seed-host, single-elimination postseason tournament. The two top seeds will receive a bye to the semifinal round, while the No. 3 seed will host the No. 6 seed, and the No. 4 seed will host the No. 5 seeds during the quarterfinals, which will be held Tuesday, November 5. The No. 3/6 winner will play at the No. 2 seed and the No. 4/5 winner will play at the No. 1 seed during the semifinals, which are scheduled for Thursday, November 7. The championship match is set for Saturday, November 9, with the two semifinal winners meeting on the home court of the top remaining seed. All MIAC Volleyball Playoff matches will start at 7 p.m. The winner will receive the MIAC's automatic bid to the 2019 NCAA Division III Volleyball Tournament.
