BU splits matches at Big Dogs Classic

Cumberlands Box Score
Indiana Tech Box Score

JOLIET, Ill. -- The 17th-ranked Bellevue University volleyball team split a pair of matches on Saturday in the Big Dogs Classic being played at the Pat Sullivan Center on the University of St. Francis campus. BU defeated the University of Cumberlands (3-0) 25-17, 25-16, 25-12 in the opener before concluding the tournament with a 3-2 (16-25, 16-25, 25-22, 25-22, 15-13) loss to Indiana Tech University in the nightcap. 

The Bruins moved to 6-1 on the season with the split. Cumberlands is now 3-4. Indiana Tech improved to 6-2 overall. The Warriors are receiving votes in the NAIA Top 25 Preseason Coaches' Poll.

Bellevue 3, Cumberlands 0

Haley Fleischman and Allie Kerns led the Bruins with seven kills apiece as BU outhit the Patriots .253 to .122 in the sweep. Fleischman hit .500 with just one error in 12 attempts. Kealy Kiviniemi added six kills on .357 hitting, along with two blocks. Chloe Cloud finished with five kills and a match-high five blocks.  

Taylan Keefer led the BU defense with a team-high 11 digs. Jada Nunn (17) and Mila Aiwohi (12) combined for 29 assists in the victory. 

Allison Montgomery paced UC with seven kills and four digs, while Julie Banks led the Patriot defense with a match-high 12 digs. 

After the Bruins used a 4-0 run to build an early 7-3 lead in the opener, the two teams traded points for the remainder of the first set until BU closed the frame on a 6-1 run to earn the 25-17 victory. Eve Fountain led BU in the first game with four kills and a pair of blocks. 

A pair of kills by Kiviniemi, a service ace by Fountain, and a block by Kiviniemi and Fleischman sparked a 6-1 BU run in the second, giving the Bruins a 17-11 advantage. A service ace by Kenzie Polk capped a 3-0 BU run, giving the Bruins a commanding 22-14 edge. Bellevue scored the final three points of the set on a pair of kills by Kiviniemi and another by Fountain to take the second frame, 25-16. 

Kiviniemi led the Bruins in the second set with four kills on seven swings. 

The Bruins never trailed in the third and closed out the match on a 7-2 run, ending the sweep on a kill by Aspen Meyer to garner the 25-12 victory. Fleischman, Cloud, and Kerns combined for 10 kills on 15 errorless swings in the third stanza as BU hit .345 as a team.  

Indiana Tech 3, Bellevue 2

After cruising to a 2-0 lead with identical 25-16 victories in the opening two sets, Indiana Tech rebounded by winning the next three sets, 25-22, 25-22, and 15-13, to take the match in dramatic comeback fashion. The Bruins outhit IWU .258 to 115 in the loss. 

Kerns led the Bruins with a season-high 17 kills on .298 hitting. Sledge added 11 kills on 26 errorless swings for a .423 hitting clip. She also added three blocks. Fountain contributed with nine kills, 13 digs, and four blocks. Kiviniemi registered eight kills, three digs, and a pair of solo blocks. 

Nunn (23) and Aiwohi (21) combined for 44 assists, and Keefer anchored the Bruin defense with 19 digs. 

Noelle Vanoort recorded a double-double to lead the Warriors, finishing with 16 kills and 18 digs. Taylor Paul finished with 15 kills and eight digs. Emma Westra also compiled a double-double, finishing with 10 kills and 18 digs.  

Kerns had four kills on eight swings, and ITU hit -.030 as BU opened up with a 25-16 victory in the first set. The Bruins had just one hitting error in the opener, compiling a .333 hitting efficiency. 

Bellevue raced out to an early 13-6 lead in the second frame and expanded that to 10 points at 22-12 following a kill by Fountain and a block by Sledge and Reis. The Warriors got as close as seven points following a 4-1 run before BU closed the set on a kill by Kiviniemi and an ITU hitting error. The Bruins hit a sizzling .417 in the second frame with 11 kills on 24 swings and just one attacking error. Kerns once again led the offense in the second with identical numbers as the first set, producing four kills on .500 hitting. 

After BU gained a 4-1 advantage in the third, the Warriors used a 6-1 run to take their largest lead of the match at 7-5 following a Bruin service error. ITU increased the lead to five points at 17-12 thanks to a 5-0 run backed by three ITU kills and a service ace.  The Bruins battled back to within two points at 17-15 following three straight Warrior-hitting miscues. 

After a block by Kerns and Fleischman on Emma Westra made it a one-point contest at 19-18, ITU used a 4-2 run to give the Warriors a three-point cushion at 23-20. A setter dump by Laura Danezzi gave the Warriors three set points at 24-21. A kill by Sledge saved the first set point before ITU earned the 25-22 third-set victory on a kill by Vanoort. 

Neither team could establish control in the fourth until ITU used a 7-2 run to gain an 18-12 advantage, forcing a Bruin timeout. BU countered with a 5-1 spurt to pull to within two points at 19-17, capped by kills from Sledge and Fleischman. After an ace by Ali Butler made it a one-point contest at 21-20, the Warriors got kills from Danezzi and Vanoort to make it 23-20. The Bruins forced an ITU timeout at 23-22 following kills by Sledge and Kiviniemi. The Warriors forced a fifth and deciding set, earning the 25-22 victory after a kill by Vanoort and a block by Danezzi and Hannah Teich. 

Five straight ITU points gave the Warriors a 7-2 advantage in the fifth frame. Trailing 11-7, consecutive kills by Fountain and Cloud brought the Bruins to within two points at 11-9. After a kill by Kerns and a Warrior hitting error, the Bruins clawed back to within a point at 12-11. A service ace by Westra gave ITU three match points at 14-11. After the Bruins saved two match points, the Warriors took the match in dramatic fashion on a bump kill by Danezzi that painted the sideline, making the final 15-13.  

Up Next: 

The Bruins will host the GoSarpy.com Labor Day Classic next Thursday-Saturday, August 31-September 2. BU will open the tournament on Thursday with a 7 p.m. match against Doane University in the Gordon Lozier Athletic Center. The matches on Friday and Saturday will be played at the Lied Activity Center in Bellevue.