MANKATO, Minn. - Bethany volleyball opens the 2025 UMAC postseason tournament at 7 p.m. tonight at UW-Superior. The Vikings earned the No. 3 seed with an 8-4 record in the UMAC (16-11 overall), while the Yellowjackets earned the No. 2 seed with a 9-3 league record (20-11 overall). The winner of Wednesday's semifinal matchup will face the winner of No. 1 Northwestern and No. 4 UM-Morris on Saturday at the high seed for the playoff title and automatic qualifier to the NCAA Championships. 

TICKETS
• $15 | Adults
• $10 | Seniors
• $10 | College Students
• $10 | Youth (Ages 6-18)
• Free | Ages 5 and Under
• Free | Any UMAC students, faculty, and staff with a valid and current institutional ID.
• No other passes will be accepted.

UMAC TOURNEY
Bethany is making its eighth appearance in the UMAC tournament and first since 2022 where it lost in the semifinals to Northwestern. The Vikings hold an all-time record of 5-5 in UMAC tournament games and are seeking their third playoff championship. The Vikings won the playoff title in 2004 and 2005. 

THE SERIES
Wednesday's matchup marks the 24th meeting between Bethany and UW-Superior with the Yellowjackets owning a 21-2 advantage in the all-time series. Superior has won the past 17 matches with the Vikings' last win in 2016. 

LAST TIME THEY MET
Bethany suffered a 3-0 loss to UW-Superior on Oct. 25. 

Bethany started the match strong with a 4-1 lead thanks to alternating kills from Lilly Mehrkens and Riley Sammon. The Yellowjackets climbed back to gain a 9-8 advantage but a 9-2 run gave the lead back to the Vikings at 17-11. Trailing by four, the visitors rattled of five straight points to go up 21-20. Kills from Mehrkens and Sammon gave the Vikings set point at 24-22, but Superior was able to fend it off with a 5-1 run to win the frame 27-25. 

The Vikings again started the second set strong with a 5-2 lead but seven straight points by the Yellowjackets gave them the lead for good in a 25-17 decision. Bethany held early leads of 4-3 and 8-5 in the third, but once again the visitors had a long string of scoring on an 8-1 run and never looked back in a 25-20 win. 

Bethany hit .195 on the attack while Superior converted at a .317 clip. Mehrkens led the offense with 12 kills. Abby Distad had 39 assists. Kylie Smidt led the defense with 19 digs. 

On Oct. 3 in Superior, Wis., Bethany's eight-match winning streak came to an end with a heartbreaking loss in five sets. 

Bethany had a quick start to the match, winning the first three points and never trailed in the opening frame. The Vikings grew their lead to as much as nine at 18-9, forcing a Yellowjacket timeout. After the break, the home team shrunk the deficit to four with a 6-1 run, but the Vikings finished the set with the final four points for a 25-16 decision. 

Superior gained its first lead of the night with the opening point of the second, but the Vikings took the lead at 6-5 and never trailed the rest of the way. Bethany scored seven straight points midway through and went on to win decisively at 25-14. 

The Jackets got their footing in the third, jumping out to a 10-3 lead. Trailing 13-6, the Vikings went on a 7-0 run to tie the set at 13 and then eventually took the lead at 15-14. The visitors did not relinquish the lead until Superior went ahead 19-18, which started a string of seven consecutive points to win the set 25-18. 

Superior rolled its momentum into the fourth by winning the first six points. The home team gained a lead of 10 points six times and tied the match at two sets apiece with a 25-14 win. 

The deciding fifth set started with six ties but after the Vikings took an 8-7 lead and the teams switched ends, the Yellowjackets closed out the match on a 8-2 run. 

Bethany out-hit Superior .150-.137 on the attack, led by Lilly Mehrkens with 22 kills. Abby Distad had 42 assists while five players reached double-figure digs. Avery Carlson and Kylie Smidt led the way with 19 digs apiece. 

SCOUTING THE VIKINGS
Bethany won three of its last five regular season matches and is 2-4 against UMAC postseason teams this season. The Vikings ranks second in the UMAC with a .190 attack percentage and are fourth with a .155 opponent attack rate. Maddie Meyer leads the league with a .312 hitting percentage with 228 kills. Lilly Mehrkens ranks second in the conference with 3.60 kills per set. Abby Distad averages 9.90 assists per set, ranking second in the league, and her 0.56 aces per set is tied with teammate Kylie Smidt for the conference lead. Smidt ranks third in the UMAC with 4.08 digs per set. 

SCOUTING THE YELLOWJACKETS
UW-Superior has lost three of its last four matches to close out the regular season and is 3-3 against UMAC postseason teams. The Yellowjackets ranks third in the league with a .179 hitting percentage and are sixth with a .137 opponent percentage. They lead the league with 11.81 assists per set, led by dual setters Gabi Schwirtz (4.48 per set) and Colleen Claude (4.40 per set). Makenna Hohbein leads the offense with 3.79 kills per set and a .236 attack percentage. Savanna Hering leads the back line with 4.51 digs per set.