Mid-American Conference Volleyball Tournament

Mid-American Conference women's volleyball tournament
Conference volleyball championship
SportVolleyball
ConferenceMid-American Conference
Number of teams6
FormatSingle-elimination tournament
Current stadiumWorthen Arena
Current locationMuncie, Indiana
Played1980–82, 1987-present
Last contest2025
Current championToledo Rockets
Most championshipsOhio Bobcats (9)
Official websitegetsomemaction.com – Women's Volleyball

The Mid-American Conference women's volleyball tournament is the postseason single-elimination tournament for the NCAA Division I Mid-American Conference (MAC). The winner of the tournament receives the MAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Division I women's volleyball tournament. Since 2021, the top six teams in conference play qualify for the tournament.[1] The tournament was typically hosted by the regular season champion, though it has also been held at neutral sites including Battle Creek, Michigan (1990-93), the SeaGate Centre in Toledo, Ohio (2005-10), and Geneva, Ohio (2011-13). Starting in 2025, the regular-season champion from the prior season was named the host of that year's tournament,[2] resulting in Bowling Green hosting the 2025 tournament, while Ball State will host in 2026 as the 2025 regular season champions.

Format

On May 12, 2020, the MAC announced a series of changes to its competitive format in multiple sports in response to fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic; these changes took effect in the 2020–21 school year and were planned to last through at least 2023–24.

In the first MAC Volleyball Tournament in 1980, there was no regular season conference play, so all nine teams went to the tournament and were split into two pools, with the 'Pool A' winner playing the 'Pool B' runner-up in one semifinal with the 'Pool B' winner facing the 'Pool A' runner-up in the other. Starting in 1982, that format was abandoned as regular-season play was introduced, with only the top four teams in conference play going to the tournament.[3]

In 1983, the conference stopped having a tournament until 1986, with the regular-season champion earning the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division I women's volleyball tournament. In 1987, postseason play returned with the top four teams entering the tournament.

From 1997-2002 and 2011-2019, the tournament involved the top eight teams in the conference standings. From 2003-2010 all teams in the conference made the tournament. For the 2020 season, played in spring 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, only the top four teams made the tournament, and since the fall 2021 season it has been a six-team tournament with the top two seeds getting a bye to the semifinals while lower seeds play in a quarterfinal round.

Teams are seeded by conference record using a series of specified tiebreakers when necessary.

Yearly results

Year Champion Score Runner-up Tournament MVP Location
1980 Miami 3-2 Central Michigan none DeKalb, Illinois
1981 Miami 3-1 Central Michigan none Mount Pleasant, Michigan
1982 (3) Western Michigan 3-0 (2) Central Michigan none Athens, Ohio
1983-86 No Tournament
1987 (1) Western Michigan 3-0 (2) Bowling Green none Kalamazoo, Michigan
1988 (1) Western Michigan 3-0 (3) Eastern Michigan none
1989 (2) Western Michigan 3-2 (1) Bowling Green Joanne Bingham, Western Michigan Bowling Green, Ohio
1990 (1) Miami 3-2 (2) Eastern Michigan Angel Miller, Miami Battle Creek, Michigan
1991 (1) Bowling Green 3-0 (2) Miami Tammy Schiller, Bowling Green
1992 (2) Ball State 3-2 (1) Bowling Green April Hoeltke, Ball State
1993 (1) Ball State 3-1 (2) Bowling Green Cassy Herode, Ball State
1994 (1) Ball State 3-2 (3) Miami Carin Zielinski, Ball State Muncie, Indiana
1995 (3) Ball State 3-2 (1) Miami Wendy Carter, Ball State Oxford, Ohio
1996 (1) Miami 3-0 (3) Kent State Jessica Stout, Miami
1997 (2) Northern Illinois 3-1 (1) Miami Beth Burkholder, Northern Illinois
1998 (1) Miami 3-0 (3) Northern Illinois Alissia Thompson, Miami
1999 (1) Ball State 3-0 (2) Western Michigan Emily Sallee, Ball State Muncie, Indiana
2000 (1) Western Michigan 3-1 (2) Ball State Zakiya Pope, Western Michigan Kalamazoo, Michigan
2001 (1) Northern Illinois 3-0 (3) Ball State Jenny Bowman, Northern Illinois DeKalb, Illinois
2002 (1) Ball State 3-0 (4) Eastern Michigan Katie Butts, Ball State Muncie, Indiana
2003 (1) Ohio 3-0 (7) Marshall Laura Hageman, Ohio
2004 (1) Ohio 3-0 (3) Marshall Briana Adamovsky, Ohio Bowling Green, Ohio
2005 (1) Ohio 3-0 (3) Ball State Savanah Parra, Ohio SeaGate Centre
2006 (1) Ohio 3-0 (3) Bowling Green Melissa Griffin, Ohio
2007 (3) Miami 3-0 (1) Ohio Carli Reihman, Miami
2008 (2) Ohio 3-1 (1) Western Michigan Ellen Herman, Ohio
2009 (1) Ohio 3-1 (2) Western Michigan Sarah Petrulis, Ohio
2010 (2) Ohio 3-0 (4) Northern Illinois Sue Jacobi, Ohio
2011 (6) Central Michigan 3-2 (1) Northern Illinois Kaitlin Schultz, Central Michigan Geneva, Ohio
2012 (2) Bowling Green 3-2 (4) Northern Illinois Paige Penrod, Bowling Green
2013 (1) Ohio 3-0 (7) Eastern Michigan Meredith Ashy, Ohio
2014[4] (5) Western Michigan 3-2 (1) Ohio Lexie Pawlik, Western Michigan Convocation Center (Ohio)
2015[5] (2) Ohio 3-0 (1) Northern Illinois Abby Gilleland, Ohio
2016[6] (2) Northern Illinois 3-0 (1) Miami Mary Grace Kelly, Northern Illinois Convocation Center (NIU)
2017[7] (1) Miami 3-0 (6) Western Michigan Olivia Rusek, Miami Millett Hall
2018[8] (5) Eastern Michigan 3-2 (2) Miami Cassie Haut, Eastern Michigan
2019[9] (4) Ball State 3-2[10] (3) Bowling Green Kia Holder, Ball State[11] Stroh Center
2020 (played spring 2021)[12] (1) Bowling Green 3-1[13] (2) Western Michigan Katelyn Meyer, Bowling Green[14]
2021 (fall)[15] (1) Ball State 3-2[16] (2) Bowling Green Natalie Risi, Ball State[17] Worthen Arena
2022[18] (2) Bowling Green 3-2[19] (1) Ball State Lauryn Hovey, Bowling Green[20]
2023[21] (1) Western Michigan 3-2[22] (6) Bowling Green Logan Case, Western Michigan[23] University Arena (WMU)
2024[24] (4) Western Michigan 3-0[25] (3) Ball State Logan Case, Western Michigan[26] Stroh Center
2025[27] (4) Toledo 3–1[28] (2) Western Michigan Jessica Costlow, Toledo[29]
2026 Worthen Arena[30]

Performance by school

School Tenure Championships Championship years
Ohio 1980–present
9
 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2015
Western Michigan 1980–present
8*
 1982, *1983, *1984, *1985, *1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 2000, 2014, 2023, 2024
Ball State 1980–present
8
 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1999, 2002, 2019, 2021
Miami 1980–present
7
 1980, 1981, 1990, 1996, 1998, 2007, 2017
Bowling Green 1981–present
4
 1991, 2012, 2020, 2022
Northern Illinois
1982–1985
1997–2025
3
 1997, 2001, 2016
Central Michigan 1980–present
1
 2011
Eastern Michigan 1980–present
1
 2018
Toledo 1980–present
1
 2025
Akron 1992–present
0
 —
Buffalo
1998–present
0
 —
Kent State 1980–present
0
 —
Marshall
1997–2004
0
 —
*There was no MAC Tournament from 1983-86. The regular season champion received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament

Former conference members shaded in ██ silver

See also

References

  1. ↑ Strack, Jordan (May 12, 2020). "Major changes coming to Mid-American Conference". Toledo, OH: WTOL. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  2. ↑ "MAC Releases 2025 Volleyball Conference Schedule". Mid-American Conference. Retrieved 7 August 2026.
  3. ↑ "MAC Volleyball Record Book (2026)" (PDF). Mid-American Conference. Retrieved 7 August 2026.
  4. ↑ "2014 MAC Volleyball Championship". Mid-American Conference. Retrieved 7 August 2026.
  5. ↑ "2015 MAC Volleyball Championship". Mid-American Conference. Retrieved 7 August 2026.
  6. ↑ "2016 MAC Volleyball Championship". Mid-American Conference. Retrieved 7 August 2026.
  7. ↑ "2017 MAC Volleyball Championship". Mid-American Conference. Retrieved 7 August 2026.
  8. ↑ "2018 MAC Volleyball Championship". Mid-American Conference. Retrieved 7 August 2026.
  9. ↑ "2019 MAC Volleyball Championship". Mid-American Conference. Retrieved 7 August 2026.
  10. ↑ "2019 Championship Box Score" (PDF). Mid-American Conference. Retrieved 7 August 2026.
  11. ↑ "MAC CHAMPIONS, Volleyball Tops BGSU in MAC Championship Match". Ball State Cardinals. Retrieved 7 August 2026.
  12. ↑ "2020-21 MAC Volleyball Championship". Mid-American Conference. Retrieved 7 August 2026.
  13. ↑ "2020 Championship Box Score". Bowling Green Falcons. Retrieved 7 August 2026.
  14. ↑ Edmond, Kyle. "Champions! Falcons Earn MAC Championship, NCAA Bid For First Time Since 2012". Bowling Green Falcons. Retrieved 7 August 2026.
  15. ↑ "2021 MAC Volleyball Championship". Mid-American Conference. Retrieved 7 August 2026.
  16. ↑ "2021 Championship Box Score". Ball State Cardinals. Retrieved 7 August 2026.
  17. ↑ "NCAA BOUND! Ball State Tops Bowling Green in MAC Championship Title Match". Ball State Cardinals. Retrieved 7 August 2026.
  18. ↑ "2022 MAC Volleyball Championship". Mid-American Conference. Retrieved 7 August 2026.
  19. ↑ "2022 Championship Box Score" (PDF). Mid-American Conference. Retrieved 7 August 2026.
  20. ↑ "MAC Champs! Falcons Clinch MAC Tournament Title In Five Set Thriller". Bowling Green Falcons. Retrieved 7 August 2026.
  21. ↑ "2023 MAC Volleyball Championship". Mid-American Conference. Retrieved 7 August 2026.
  22. ↑ "2023 Championship Box Score". Mid-American Conference. Retrieved 7 August 2026.
  23. ↑ "Western Michigan Punches Ticket to NCAA Tournament in Five-Set Thriller Against BGSU". Western Michigan Broncos. Retrieved 7 August 2026.
  24. ↑ "2024 MAC Volleyball Championship". Mid-American Conference. Retrieved 7 August 2026.
  25. ↑ "2024 Championship Box Score". Western Michigan Broncos. Retrieved 7 August 2026.
  26. ↑ "BACK TO BACK! Western Michigan Repeats as MAC Tournament Champions". Western Michigan Broncos. Retrieved 7 August 2026.
  27. ↑ "2025 MAC Volleyball Championship". Mid-American Conference. Retrieved 7 August 2026.
  28. ↑ "2025 Championship Box Score". Mid-American Conference. Retrieved 7 August 2026.
  29. ↑ "Toledo Captures First-Ever MAC Championship with 3-1 Victory over Western Michigan". Toledo Rockets. Retrieved 7 August 2026.
  30. ↑ "MAC Releases 2026 Volleyball Conference Schedule". Mid-American Conference. Retrieved 7 August 2026.
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