MIAC Fall Playoffs open Tuesday with women's soccer and volleyball

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The 2011 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Fall Playoffs will begin on Tuesday with two women's soccer semifinal games and a pair of volleyball quarterfinal matches. The Men's Soccer Playoffs will follow a day later, with both semifinal games set for Wednesday.

The Playoffs officially open Tuesday afternoon, with both women's soccer matches starting at 2 p.m. Top-seeded Saint Benedict (11-6-1, 8-2-1 MIAC) hosts No. 4 Macalester (11-6-1, 7-3-1 MIAC) in St. Joseph in one semifinal, and second-seeded Carleton (11-5-2, 8-2-1 MIAC) hosts third-seeded Concordia (11-2-5, 7-1-3) in the other semifinal match. The Blazers and Knights tied for the 2011 regular season conference championship, and the Cobbers enter the playoff as the defending champion.

Both semifinal contests are rematches of great regular-season games. When they met on Sept. 14, Macalester actually handed co-champ Saint Benedict one of its two conference losses in a thrilling 1-0 double-overtime game. Carleton and Concordia also went to double-overtime on Sept. 24, with the game ending in a scoreless tie. The Knights and Cobbers also met in last year's Playoff championship game, which ended with Concordia winning on penalty kicks.

The spotlight turns to volleyball Tuesday evening with two 7 p.m. quarterfinal matches. No. 3 Bethel (21-8, 6-3 MIAC) hosts No. 6 Augsburg (16-11, 7-4 MIAC) in Arden Hills while No. 4 Saint Benedict (17-11, 8-3 MIAC) hosts No. 5 Gustavus (20-9, 7-4 MIAC) in St. Joseph. Meanwhile, the conference co-champs - No. 1 Concordia (23-3, 10-1 MIAC) and No. 2 St. Thomas (28-3, 10-1 MIAC) - await the winners in the semifinals. The Bethel/Augsburg winner will face the Tommies in St. Paul, while the Saint Benedict/Gustavus winner will travel to Moorhead Thursday to face the Cobbers.

The two volleyball quarterfinals are also fitting rematches, as both regular-season matchups went the distance to five sets. The Royals will be looking for revenge after Augsburg claimed a 3-2 victory in the regular season on Sept. 28, and Saint Benedict was a 3-2 winner over the Gusties on Oct. 22. The defending Playoff champion, St. Olaf, finished in a tie for seventh and is not in this year's field.

The opening round of the Fall Playoffs concludes Tuesday with a pair of men's soccer semifinal games at 2 p.m., both in Northfield. Top-seeded St. Olaf (14-3-1, 7-2-1 MIAC) hosts fourth-seeded Augsburg (10-4-3, 6-3-1 MIAC) in one semifinal, and No. 2 Carleton (11-5-2, 7-2-1 MIAC) hosts No. 3 Gustavus (14-1-3, 6-1-3 MIAC) in the other. The Oles and Knights shared the league's regular-season championship.

The Carleton/Gustavus semifinal is a fitting rematch of a regular-season matchup that finished without a winner. The two played to a scoreless, double-overtime tie on Oct. 1. When St. Olaf and Augsburg met in the regular season on Oct. 12, the Oles scored a 2-0 win. However, the Auggies are the defending Playoff champion and bring that postseason experience to their second matchup.

Most of Tuesday and Wednesday's action will have live video or live stats or both. The complete schedule -with links to live broadcasts - is listed below. All three MIAC Playoff championship games will take place Saturday, with the winners receiving automatic bids to the 2011 NCAA Division III Playoffs. The MIAC has a page dedicated to each sport's Playoffs, which contains complete schedules, team information and more, and will be the best source for scores, recaps, live broadcast links and more throughout the postseason.

Women's Soccer Playoffs | Semifinals | Tuesday, Nov. 1 |
No. 4 Macalester at No. 1 Saint Benedict – 2 p.m. – St. Joseph, Minn.
No. 3 Concordia at No. 2 Carleton –2 p.m. – Northfield, Minn. | Live Web cast/stats |

MIAC Volleyball Playoffs | Quarterfinals | Tuesday, Nov. 1 |
No. 6 Augsburg at No. 3 Bethel – 7 p.m. – Arden Hills, Minn. | Live Web cast/stats |
No. 5 Gustavus at No. 4 Saint Benedict – 7 p.m. – St. Joseph, Minn. | Live Web cast |

Men's Soccer Playoffs | Semifinals | Wednesday, Nov. 2 |
No. 4 Augsburg at No. 1 St. Olaf – 2 p.m. – Northfield, Minn. | Live Web cast/stats |
No. 3 Gustavus at No. 2 Carleton – 2 p.m. – Northfield, Minn. | Live Web cast/stats |

MIAC Playoffs & Championships Page