Contact: Brock Reisler, Assistant Executive Director, breisler@midwestconference.org
HILBERT, Wisconsin – Six teams are set to battle for the Midwest Conference Volleyball Tournament crown this week as the postseason gets underway on Tuesday evening.
The single-elimination tournament begins with two quarterfinal matches on Tuesday, November 10. Third-seeded Grinnell College hosts sixth-seeded Lake Forest College, while fourth-seeded Illinois College College welcomes fifth-seeded Monmouth College. First serve of both quarterfinals are scheduled for 7 p.m.
The tournament then shifts to Mount Vernon, Iowa as the 14-time defending MWC champion Cornell College Rams are the hosts of the semifinals and final. Second-seeded Lawrence University plays the winner of the Monmouth/Lake Forest match on Friday evening at 4:30 p.m., while Cornell gets the winner of Illinois College and Grinnell in the nightcap at 7 p.m.
Friday’s winners will meet in the championship match on Saturday, November 14, at 1 p.m., with the tournament title and the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament on the line.
Cornell (15-9, 9-0 MWC) claimed its 14th consecutive league title with a win over previously unbeaten Lawrence on October 31. Since the start of the MWC Tournament in 2005, the Rams have won the event 11 times. Cornell is looking for its sixth MWC Tournament title in a row and 12th NCAA Tournament bid in school history.
Lawrence (17-10, 8-1 MWC) came within one win of the NCAA Tournament last season and is back for its second consecutive postseason. With two wins this weekend, the Vikings would make their first ever NCAA Tournament appearance with their first MWC Tournament title in school history.
Grinnell (11-14, 6-3 MWC) is no stranger to the postseason, as the Pioneers will make their ninth appearance in the MWC Tournament since 2016. Grinnell is the only team other than Cornell to win the MWC Tournament since 2016 and is looking for its second tournament crown and NCAA Tournament bid (both previous instances came in 2019).
Illinois College (13-11, 6-3 MWC) returns to the MWC Tournament for the eighth consecutive season. The Lady Blues are searching for their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1993, and in qualifying would win their first ever MWC Tournament title.
Monmouth (9-16, 6-3 MWC) is making its third consecutive MWC Tournament appearance, the first such streak for the Fighting Scots since 2010-12. Monmouth has never won the MWC Tournament or appeared in the NCAA Tournament, looking for a pair of program firsts with three wins this week.
After a two-year hiatus, Lake Forest (11-13, 4-5 MWC) has qualified for the MWC Tournament since making back-to-back appearances in 2022 and 2023. The Foresters are looking to win their first MWC Tournament title in program history and qualify for the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2003.
For all updates on the tournament, visit the
MWC Volleyball Tournament page.
The complete tournament schedule is listed below.
Tuesday, November 10, 2026
Quarter-Final #1 – 7:00 PM – No. 3 Grinnell College vs. No. 6 Lake Forest College
Quarter-Final #2 – 7:00 PM – No. 4 Illinois College vs. No. 5 Monmouth College
Friday, November 13, 2026
Semi-Final #1 – 4:30 PM – No. 2 Lawrence University vs. No. 3 Seed/No. 6 Seed
Semi-Final #2 – 7:00 PM* – No. 1 Cornell College vs. No. 4 Seed/No. 5 Seed
*Or at least one hour following the conclusion of Semi-Final #1
Saturday, November 14, 2026
Tournament Final - 1:00 PM – Winner of Semi-Final #1 vs. Winner of Semi-Final #2