BU claims MCAC Volleyball Tournament title

Box Score

BELLEVUE, Neb. -- Junior Maureen Wardian pounded a career-high 20 kills to lead the 23rd-ranked Bellevue University volleyball team to a 3-0 (25-17, 27-25, 29-27) sweep over College of the Ozarks in the championship match of the 2010 MCAC Volleyball Tournament.

Bellevue (33-11) received an automatic berth into the NAIA Volleyball National Tournament. Selections for the National Tournament will be made on Sunday (Nov. 14). College of the Ozarks, who tied the Bruins for the regular-season title with a 15-1 conference record, finished their season with a 29-12 overall mark.

The tournament title was Bellevue's fourth in the program's history.

Wardian added a match-high seven blocks in the win. Freshman Annie Benson collected nine kills, five digs, and four blocks. Senior Jaclyn Thorson added eight kills on .429 hitting with four blocks.

Sophomore Jordan Broady registered her 13th double-double of the season with 42 assists and 11 digs, while adding five kills and a a pair of blocks in directing the BU attack to a .201 attack percentage.

Senior Katy Gregory paced the Bruin defense with a match-high 19 digs.

The Bruins never trailed in the opening set as Wardian led the way with eight kills on 14 swings. Benson added fills kills and three digs.

The second set was back-and-forth with neither team leading by more than four points. Wardian connected on six kills in the second frame. With the score knotted at 13-13, the Bruins went on a 4-0 run capped by a service ace by Kylie Davis. The Bobcats responded with with a 5-2 spurt to close the gap to 20-18. The Bruins had two set points at 24-22, but a kill by Lauren Noble and a block by Veronica Barrientos tied the game at 24-24. A kill by Kinsey Palmer gave the Bobcats set point, but the Bruins ended the set with kills by Wardian and Thorson and a block by Broady and Thorson.

The marathon third set featured nine ties and two lead changes. Wardian, once again, led the way with six kills, while Kali Schnacker and Broady both added four kills. The Bruins looked to be on their way to an easy win, building a 15-10 advantage, before Ozarks battled back, going on a 12-7 run to take a 22-20 lead. The Bobcats had two set points, leading 24-22, but consecutive kills by Wardian and Broady tied the game at 24-24. Bellevue saved two more set points before the Bruins converted on their second match point, finishing the match on a block by Schnacker and Wardian on the Bobcats' Lauren Noble.