Nebraska-Kearney sweeps Bellevue, 3-0

Box Score

KEARNEY, Neb. -- The University of Nebraska at Kearney, ranked No. 9 in the latest NCAA Division II poll, handed the Bruins a 3-0 (25-8, 25-16, 25-13) setback Thursday night in non-conference volleyball action at the Health and Sports Center.

Bellevue fell to 20-7 on the season. The Lopers won their seventh-straight match, improving to 17-3 overall.

Junior Maureen Wardian led the Bruins with 11 kills on .625 hitting, while adding a match-high four blocks. She was the lone Bruin in double figures.

Sophomore setter Jordan Broady collected 24 assists, six digs and three blocks. Freshman Meghan Evans and senior Katy Gregory each notched six digs to tie Broady for the team high in digs.

The Bruins were plagued with 18 attacking errors, hitting a season-low .078 in the match. The Lopers hit .400, paced by Kelsey Werner, who had 12 kills on .800 hitting.

The Bruins hit -.121 in the opener, committing nine attack errors, while UNK hit at a .423 clip. Ashley Wurdeman and Annie Benson collected two kills apiece to lead BU in the first set.

Wardian paced the Bruins in the second frame, collecting six kills on eight swings, as BU improved its attack percentage to .233. Trailing 20-8, the Bruins got four kills from Wardian in an 8-4 run to pull to within eight points at 24-16, before the Lopers' Ariel Krolikowski ended the set on a kill. 

Once again, Wardian led BU in the third frame, registering four kills in five attempts.  The Lopers raced out to an 8-1 lead before the Bruins went on a 6-3 run to close the gap to 11-7. However, UNK responded witha 9-2 run, before taking the final set, 25-13.

The Bruins return to action on Tuesday, Oct. 12, when they travel to Peru, Neb. for a 7 p.m. conference match at Peru State College.