BU drops 5-setter to No. 6 Columbia, sweeps Rochester

Columbia Box Score
Rochester Box Score

LIVONIA, Mich. -- The Bellevue University volleyball team split a pair of matches Friday at the Madonna University Classic, as sixth-ranked Columbia College pulled out a 3-2 (25-20, 25-13, 22-25, 29-31, 15-12) win in the opener, before the Bruins rebounded with a 3-0 sweep over Rochester College, 25-19, 25-12, 25-20.

Senior Katy Gregory posted 36 digs in the two matches and is now the school's all-time leader in career digs with 2,169. She surpassed Annie Viviano who recorded 2,160 digs during her 1993-96 career.

The Bruins are now 26-10 overall on the season.

Columbia 3, Bellevue 2
Middle blockers Maureen Wardian and Jaclyn Thorson collected 15 kills and six blocks apiece to pace the Bruin attack, while rightside hitter Kali Schnacker added 11 kills, with 10 coming in the final three sets.

Vesna Trivunovic led the Cougars with 24 kills and 14 digs.

Wardian hit .448 in the match with just two errors in 29 attempts. Thorson hit at a .353 clip. 

Gregory posted a season-high 23 digs in the loss. 

Sophomore setter Jordan Broady directed the BU offense to a .219 attack percentage while collecting 46 assists, six digs, four blocks, and two kills.

The Bruins hit just .100 in the opening two sets as Columbia gained a two-set advantage.

Paced by Schnacker's four kills, Bellevue controlled the majority of the third set, leading from start to finish. A kill by Ashley Wurdeman gave the Bruins their largest lead at 14-8. However, the Cougars went on a 10-4 run to tie the set at 18-18. A kill by Wardian and a block by Thorson and Broady helped the Bruins close out the set, winning 25-22.

The Cougars saved seven set points in the fourth frame, before a Trivunovic attack error gave the Bruins the set, 31-29, evening the match at two sets apiece. Wardian registered six kills on seven attempts, while Schnacker and Thorson added five kills each as the Bruins hit .390 as a team.

Columbia raced out to leads of 10-4 and 12-7 in the deciding set, before a kill and a service ace by Broady and successive blocks by Wardian and Wurdeman on Trivunovic highlighted a 5-0 BU run as the Bruins knotted the game at 12-12. After a Bellevue service error, two-straight kills by Trivunovic ended the match at 15-12.

Bellevue 3, Rochester 0
Schnacker and Wurdeman combined for 21 kills and both hit over .400 to lead the Bruins to the 25-19, 25-12, 25-20 win over Rochester.

Schnacker notched 11 kills with no errors in 24 attempts (.458), while Wurdeman hit .438 with 10 kills, three errors, in 16 attacks. Thorson collected nine kills on .667 hitting and Wardian tacked on seven kills with .467 hitting as the Bruins hit .337 as a team. Wardian also collected a match-high six blocks.

Broady registered 35 assists, five digs, two blocks, and two kills.

Gregory once again led the BU defense with 13 digs, while freshman Kirstine Linebaugh added 11 digs. 

Thorson led the Bruins in the opening set, hitting a perfect six kills on six attempts as BU overcame an early 9-5 deficit.

Schnacker tallied five kills in the second frame as the Bruins never trailed, finishing the set on a 10-2 run.

Bellevue went on a 10-3 spurt early in the third set and never looked back to complete the sweep. Schnacker and Wurdeman each collected four kills in the final frame.

The Bruins continue action at the tournament on Saturday (Oct. 23) with a 9:30 a.m. match against the University of Michigan-Dearborn and a 3 p.m. match with the host school Madonna University.