ST. PAUL, Minn. – The top-seeded and No. 15-ranked University of St. Thomas defeated the second-seeded St. Olaf College volleyball team in four sets (25-22, 25-8, 24-26, 25-21) in the championship match of the 2019 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Volleyball Playoffs on Saturday evening at Schoenecker Arena.

St. Thomas (29-4) won the first two sets before St. Olaf (26-5) took the fourth set to extend the match, but the Tommies closed out the match in four by winning the final three points to claim their league-high seventh MIAC Playoff title. With the win, the Tommies clinched the conference's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament, while the Oles will await official word on a likely at-large bid on Monday morning's NCAA selection show at 11:30 a.m. CT on NCAA.com.

Four Tommies reached double figures in kills in the win, as Fran Egan had a team-high 15, while Hannah Braun (12), Selena Levendoski (11) and Madie Kroehler (10) also posted double-digit kills. Grace Anetipa assisted on 48 of her team's 56 kills, while Ellie Meyer had a match-high 22 digs.

Senior Lauren Rewers recorded a match-high 16 kills and added 14 digs for a double-double. Junior Summer Reid was also in double figures with 11 kills and hit .303 for the Oles, who got 46 assists from junior Lexi Wall. Senior Emily Jarnigan and first year Selena Rodriguez had 19 and 13 digs, respectively.

Following the tournament, Rewers and Jarnigan were named to the All-Tournament Team. In two matches, Rewers posted 44 kills and 24 digs, with Jarnigan tallying 49 digs.

St. Olaf trailed 18-14 in the first set before winning four-straight points to even it up at 18-18. Later in the set, Levensoski had a kill and was in on a block with Anetipa to give the Tommies a 23-21 lead. After a kill by Rewers out of a St. Olaf timeout, St. Thomas won the final two points of the set on attack errors by the Oles.

The Tommies broke the second set open with an 8-0 run that gave them a 15-4 lead before Wall put an end to the run with a kill. St. Thomas hit .462 with 14 kills and only two attack errors, while limiting the Oles to five kills in the set.

Neither team led by more than two points in the third set until St. Olaf won five-straight points to open up a 22-17 lead, with Rewers tallying two kills in the run. Trailing 23-19, St. Thomas won five points in a row to bring up set point at 24-23, but the Oles closed the set on a 3-0 run to extend the match to a fourth set.

Past the midway point of the fourth set, the Tommies held a 17-11 lead before the Oles rallied to get within one, 19-18, following a 7-2 run, as Lannom had three kills and an ace in quick succession. St. Thomas maintained its lead the rest of the way, however, and won the final three points of the match after a Nicole Banitt kill brought St. Olaf within a point again at 22-21.