Bruins drop final match of MNU Invite to host Pioneers

OLATHE, Kan. -- The Bellevue University volleyball team dropped its final match of the MidAmerica Nazarene University Invitational, falling to the host school 3-1 (25-19, 25-20, 17-25, 25-20) Saturday afternoon at the Bell Family Arena. 

The Bruins (17-6) defeated Evangel, 3-1, earlier in the day, and finished the tournament with a 3-1 record. 

Freshman Symone Faulkner led the Bruins with 11 kills on .625 hitting. Senior setter Jordan Broady finished with 42 assists, eight kills, seven digs and four service aces. Faulkner and Broady were the only two Bruins to hit above .160 in the match.

Junior libero Meghan Evans collected 16 digs to pace the BU defense. 

MNU, which ended the Bruins' 2011 season in the NAIA National Championship Opening Round, was led by Molly Brester, Linjun Ji, and Megan Hayes who each recorded 11 kills. 

The Bruins gave up three four-point runs in the opening set and hit just .103 as MNU cruised to the 25-19 victory. The Pioneers hit a blazing .500 in the first set as BU managed just six digs. The one bright spot in the opener was Broady's four service aces. 

Bellevue led 20-18 in the second frame but gave up the game's final seven points as MNU took a commanding 2-0 lead with the 25-20 win. Faulkner's four kills led the BU offense, which continued to sputter, hitting at a .100 clip thanks to nine hitting errors.

The Bruins used an eight-point run to race out to an early 11-3 lead in the third set and led by as many as 10 points en route to the 25-17 win. Faulkner added four kills on four swings as BU hit .371 in the third frame.

A .128 attack percentage spelled doom for the Bruins in the fourth set as the Pioneers closed out the match with a 25-20 win. 

Bellevue returns to conference action on Tuesday, Sept. 25, when it hosts York College beginning at 7 p.m. at the Gordon Lozier Athletic Center.