BU drops five-set match to MNU; falls to Hastings in playoff

Site: Sioux City, Iowa (Tyson Events Center/Gateway Arena)
Score: MidAmerica Nazarene 3, Bellevue 2
Set Scores: 25-20, 25-21, 17-25, 14-25, 15-13
Records: MNU (28-4), BU (36-11)

SIOUX CITY, Iowa -- After coming back from a 2-0 set deficit, the 23rd-ranked Bellevue University volleyball team dropped a 3-2 (25-20, 25-21, 17-25, 14-25, 15-13) decision to No. 18-ranked MidAmerica Nazarene University in its final pool play match of the 33rd annual NAIA Volleyball National Championship Thursday night at the Tyson Events Center/Gateway Arena in Sioux City, Iowa.

The Bruins' loss to the Pioneers also caused a three-team single-set playoff with Hastings and Embry-Riddle (Fla.).

Bellevue and Hastings battled in the first playoff, where the Bruins fell, 27-25. BU scored six-straight points to erase a 24-18 deficit before eventually falling to HC. Statistics and win/loss records in the single-set playoff do not effect season totals.

The Broncos advance to play Embry-Riddle (Fla.). The winner of that set will join MNU and advance to the 12-team single elimination bracket.

MNU won its 17th-straight match and improved to 28-4 while the Bruins end their season with a 36-11 overall mark. The 36 wins is a school record.

Senior setter Jordan Broady recorded 41 assists, nine kills and four digs. The MCAC Player of the Year ended her four-year standout career second in assists with 6,032.

Annie Benson led five players with double-digit kills, pounding 12 while adding 18 digs for her 15th double-double. Caitlyn Rueth recorded 11 kills while Sunny Bell, Sydney DeBoer and Symone Faulkner each tallied 10 kills apiece.

Libero Meghan Evans anchored the defense with a match-high 22 digs. This marks her 16th match this season with 20 or more digs.

The Pioneers opened the match by scoring five of the first six points before BU answered with seven-straight points to take an 8-5 lead. MNU fought back to tie the set at 16-all and ended the set on a 9-4 run to win, 25-20. The Pioneers hit .458 and held the Bruins to just .212 hitting in the opening stanza.

The second set was tightly contested throughout as neither team was able to go ahead by more than four points. Trailing 20-17, the Bruins pulled within one, 21-20, but that's the closest they got as the Pioneers finished the game on a 4-1 run to take the second set, 25-21.

BU scored the first three points as they built an early 7-3 advantage to begin the third set. The Pioneers answered by scoring seven of the next nine points to take their only lead of the stanza, 10-9. The Bruins would use a decisive 12-3 run to take control of the set, 21-13. After back-to-back MNU points pulled them within six, 21-15, the Bruins scored four of the final six points to win, 25-17.

Trailing 5-4, the Bruins reeled off eight of the next 10 points to take a 12-7 lead. Following a Pioneer timeout, MNU closed its deficit down to 14-10, but they never got any closer as BU posted a 25-14 win to force a deciding fifth set.

The Bruins got off to a slow start in the final set and a faced an early 5-1 deficit. A 6-1 BU spurt gave them their first lead of the set, 7-6. The two teams exchanged points the remainder of game before the Pioneers strung together the final three points to win, 15-13.

MNU was paced by Linjun Ji's 14 kills and 14 digs.