Viterbo storms back to win NSAA Tournament title

Box Score
NSAA Tournament Site

BELLEVUE, Neb. -- Third-seeded and 20th-ranked Viterbo University saved two match points in the third set before battling back to claim the North Star Athletic Association Tournament title with a 3-2 (22-25, 21-25, 28-26, 26-24, 15-4) victory over top-seeded Bellevue University Saturday afternoon at the Gordon Lozier Athletic Center. 

With the win, Viterbo (13-7) earned an automatic berth into the NAIA National Tournament. It marked the V-Hawks sixth-straight NSAA Tournament title. 

Bellevue fell to 16-5 on the season with the loss. Sites and pairings for the NAIA National Championship Opening Round will be announced on Monday, April 12 at 10 a.m. 

Four Bruins registered double-figure kill totals, led by freshman Eve Fountain, who finished with 17 kills and 11 digs for her team-leading 11th double-double of the season. Jacki Apel finished with 15 kills and three blocks. 

Sierra Athen produced her 10th double-double with 13 kills and a match-high 18 digs. Coree Lipovsky hit .429 with 12 kills while adding three blocks. 

Olivia Galas tied a season-high with 59 assists while adding 15 digs and five kills and a block. 

The V-Hawks were led by right-side hitters Maya Roberts (19) and Grace Rohde (13) who combined for 32 kills to pace the VU offense.  Kenzie Winkler added 12 kills, five digs, and a pair of blocks. 

Set 1: Bellevue 25, Viterbo 22

Trailing 18-15, the Bruins used a 6-1 run to propel them to the first set victory, 25-22. Apel had two key kills down the stretch to spark the Bruins to the opening-set win.

Fountain and Apel both had five kills in the first set while the V-Hawks were paced by Roberts and Rohde, who combined for 10 kills on 20 errorless swings. 

Set 2: Bellevue 25, Viterbo 21

The Bruins raced out to a 10-3 lead in the second set capped by kills from Apel and Lipovsky. Consecutive kills by Sienna Black sparked an 8-5 run as BU took a commanding 18-8 advantage. 

The V-Hawks battled back to within three at 24-21 following a 13-6 spurt before the Bruins closed out the set on a kill from Athen to take a 2-0 lead in the match with the 25-21 win. 

Apel led BU in the second with five kills on nine swings. Roberts produced five kills and Winkler hit .500 with three kills on six attacks in the second frame.  

Set 3: Viterbo 28, Bellevue 26

Fountain (7) and Athen (5) collected 12 kills in the third frame which featured 13 ties and five lead changes. Katie Frohmader had four kills on six attacks and Rohde hit .600 with three kills on five swings. 

The Bruins led 21-17 in the third before the V-Hawks went on a four-point run to tie the set at 21-all. The two teams traded the next five points before a kill by Apel gave the Bruins match point at 24-23. A kill by Rohde tied the match. After an ace by Abbey Johnson, a kill by Athen and an attack error by Roberts gave BU a second match point at 26-25. The V-Hawks saved the match with a block by Roberts and Mariah Calkins on Athen. An attack error by Galas and a kill by Roberts gave VU the set, 28-26.  

Set 4: Viterbo 26, Bellevue 24

The fourth set was a back-and-forth affair with 17 ties and five lead changes. Neither team led by more than two points the entire set. 

Lipovsky had five kills on seven swings to pace BU in the fourth while Winkler collected five kills on .400 hitting. 

After an attack error by Roberts gave BU a 23-22 lead, the V-Hawks closed out the set on a 4-1 run thanks to kills by Frohmader and Winkler and a pair of BU attacking errors.  

Set 5: Viterbo 15, Bellevue 5

The V-Hawks rode the momentum of the third and fourth sets into the deciding frame, cruising to the 15-5 win and the tournament title. Roberts had four kills on six swings and the V-Hawks hit .500 while holding the Bruins to a .000 hitting clip.