Bruins survive in five sets at Mayville State

Box Score

MAYVILLE, N.D. -- The 15th-ranked Bellevue University volleyball team rebounded from a 2-1 deficit to pull out a dramatic 3-2 (25-15, 22-25, 22-25, 25-18, 15-13) victory at Mayville State University Friday night in North Star Athletic Association action at Lewy Lee Fieldhouse. 

With the win, the Bruins improved to 15-4 on the season and 3-1 in the NSAA. MSU fell to 10-5 overall and 2-2 in league play. 

Eve Fountain led the Bruins with 14 kills on .312 hitting while adding seven digs and three blocks.

Allie Kerns finished with 13 kills, five digs, and four blocks. On her 11th kill of the match, Kerns picked up her 1,000th collegiate career kill. 

Kealy Kiviniemi was the third Bruin in double figures, collecting 11 kills along with a pair of blocks. 

Mila Aiwohi (28) and Jada Nunn (15) combined for 43 assists while directing the BU offense to a .164 hitting percentage. 

Senior libero Taylan Keefer recorded a career-high 45 digs in the victory while adding five assists, helping hold the Comets to .047 attacking efficiency. Her 45 digs was the second-highest single-game dig total in school history. 

Thyra Peterick led the Comets with 10 kills and a match-high eight blocks. Elora Passa finished with seven kills, 22 assists, and 13 digs. Madison McKinnon collected 11 kills on .409 hitting while adding seven blocks. 

Natalie Hadrava finished with 27 digs.  

Set 1: Bellevue 25, Mayville State 15

The Bruins overcame an early deficit by using a 10-1 run to grab a 13-5 lead in the opening frame. BU maintained an eight-point advantage at 18-10 following a kill by Kerns and a block by Morgan Wale on Abby Cox. 

The Comets got as close as five points at 19-14 following a solo block by Thyra Peterick on Kiviniemi before the Bruins reeled off three-straight points, closing the set on a 6-1 run to take the opener, 25-15. 

Kiviniemi and Fountain paced the Bruins in the first set with three kills each, while Keefer produced five digs.  

MSU hit -.207 in the first set with seven kills and 13 errors in 29 attempts. 

Set 2: Mayville State 25, Bellevue 22

Three kills by Sidney Sledge sparked a 5-2 BU run as the Bruins took a 12-8 advantage in the second stanza. The Comets battled back, tying the contest at 13-all, capped by a kill from Samantha Passa. Two kills from Fountain highlighted a 3-0 BU run, pushing the Bruins to a 16-13 lead. 

Once again, the Comets responded, using an 8-4 spurt to grab a 21-20 lead. The two teams traded the next four points until MSU got back-to-back kills by Calyn Crockett and a block by Elora Passa and Madison McKinnon to earn the 25-22 victory. 

Fountain and Sledge each had three kills to pace the BU offense in the second frame. Peterick pounded four kills to propel the Comet's second-set offense.  

Set 3: Mayville State 25, Bellevue 22

A 7-1 BU run capped by a service ace from Keefer helped the Bruins gain a 12-6 edge in the third set. 

Bellevue maintained a six-point separation until back-to-back Comet points made it 15-11.  

A service ace by Hadrava brought the Comets to within three points at 17-14. A service ace by Emily Condon and a kill by Nicole Kortan made it a one-point contest at 19-18, forcing a Bruin timeout. MSU tied the game at 20-all on another kill by Kortan. 

The Comets took their first lead of the third set on a block by Samantha Passa and Peterick on Kiviniemi, giving MSU a 22-21 advantage. A kill by Elora Passa and back-to-back aces by Samantha Passa gave the Comets the third set, 25-22. 

Set 4: Bellevue 25, Mayville State 18

The Bruins raced out to a 12-6 lead in the fourth frame, only to see MSU battle back to within three, sparked by consecutive service aces from Natalie Hadrava. The Comets took a 16-15 lead following a 6-0 run aided by three-straight BU hitting errors.

After a kill by Peterick gave the Comets an 18-17 lead, the Bruins reeled off eight-straight points to take the fourth, 25-18, forcing a deciding fifth set. 

Set 5: Bellevue 15, Mayville State 13

MSU grabbed the first five points of the fifth set, highlighted by back-to-back kills from McKinnon. The Bruins countered with an 11-2 run to take an 11-7 lead, capped by a service ace from Nunn, a pair of kills from Kerns, and a kill by Fleischman.  

The Comets forced a Bruin timeout after scoring back-to-back points, making it 11-9. 

MSU tied the contest at 11-all after consecutive BU errors. A kill by Kerns and a block by Fountain and Fleischman on Elora Passa gave the Bruins a 13-11 margin. After trading points, a service error by Elora Passa gave the Bruins the dramatic 15-13 victory. 

Up Next:

The Bruins return home next Thursday, Oct. 5, when they entertain Dickinson State University at 6 p.m. in the Gordon Lozier Athletic Center.