MIAC RELEASE
ARDEN HILLS, MINN.—Grace Bathurst, Peyton Howie, and Sara Scherber represent the Bethel University Royals on the 2026 MIAC Volleyball All-Conference Team. In addition, Gretchen Hunt was named 2026 MIAC Volleyball Coach of the Year. This marks Hunt's second career MIAC Coach of the Year nod, also earning the award in 2001.
Junior outside hitter Hannah Penke, and junior defensive specialist/libero Grace Therrien were named to the 2026 MIAC Volleyball All-Conference Honorable Mention squad. This comes after Penke was named to the 2025 MIAC Volleyball All-Conference Team.
2026 MIAC Volleyball Awards
Offensive Player of the Year: Kali Jones (Saint Benedict)
Defensive Player of the Year: Michaela Dooley (St. Olaf)
Rookie of the Year: Wendi Peterson (Concordia Minn.)
Coach of the Year: Gretchen Hunt (Bethel)
Grace Bathurst, a junior middle blocker/opposite from Moorhead, Minnesota, paced the Royals on both ends with 3.24 kills per set (301 total), a .336 attack percentage, 75 total blocks (0.81 per set), 353 points, and 3.80 points per set over 92 sets played in 2026. The transfer from Hamline registered a season-high 19 kills in a five-set win over Macalester on October 24, and seven total blocks in a 3-1 win over Lawrence on September 4. She was all over the stat sheet in a 3-1 win over Wartburg on October 27 with a season-high six digs as well as 16 kills, a .267 hitting percentage, and five blocks. In a 3-1 win over Augsburg on October 14, Bathurst had a season-best .720 hitting percentage, 18 kills, and six total blocks.
Bathurst is a three-time MIAC Volleyball Player of the Week selection, earning the award on September 21, October 19, and October 26. She is the first Royal to land three MIAC Player of the Week awards in a season since Kristin Stern did so in 2017. This is Bathurst's second-straight selection to the MIAC Volleyball All-Conference Team.
Howie, a senior middle blocker from Blaine, Minnesota, finished the regular season with 301 kills (3.24 per set), 306.0 points (3.48 per set), a .291 attack percentage, 21 service aces, and 59 total blocks over 88 sets played. The 2025 MIAC Offensive Player of the Year had a season-high 15 kills as well as four aces in a 3-1 win over Central on September 1. Howie had a season-best seven digs and five aces to go with 12 kills and three blocks in a three-set win over Bethany Lutheran on September 19.Â
This is Howie's fourth-straight trip to the MIAC Volleyball All-Conference Team. She is the third Royal in program history to earn four MIAC Volleyball All-Conference nods.
Scherber, a sophomore outside hitter/opposite from Rogers, Minnesota, has a team-leading 309 kills (3.09 per set) over 100 sets played. She also has 326 points (3.26 per set), a .319 hitting percentage, 46 digs (0.46 per set), and 33 total blocks (0.33 per set) on her 2026 stat line. Scherber notched season-highs in kills (23) in a 3-1 loss to Hope on September 25, hitting percentage (.643) in a 3-0 win over St. Scholastica on October 3, as well as blocks (four) and digs (five) in a 3-0 win over Bethany Lutheran on September 19.
Scherber was named September 28 MIAC Volleyball Offensive Player of the Week on September 28. This is Scherber's first career trip to the MIAC Volleyball All-Conference Team.
The No. 1 seed Royals will face No. 4 seed Saint Benedict in the 2026 MIAC Volleyball Playoff Semifinal at the Robertson Center on Thursday, November 12 at 7 p.m.
