Six Bruins earn all-NSAA honors
Bruins who earned first-team honors included senior outside hitter Allie Kerns, sophomore rightside hitter Kealy Kiviniemi, redshirt sophomore outside hitter Eve Fountain, and junior middle blocker Haley Fleischman. Second-team honorees included junior rightside hitter Sidney Sledge and senior libero Taylan Keefer. Keefer was also named Bellevue's NAIA Champions of Character representative.
WATERTOWN, S.D. -- The 18th-ranked Bellevue University volleyball squad landed four members on the all-North Star Athletic Association first team, while two Bruins were tabbed second-team honorees in an announcement made tonight in conjunction with the NSAA Volleyball Tournament.
Bruins who earned first-team honors included senior outside hitter Allie Kerns, sophomore rightside hitter Kealy Kiviniemi, redshirt sophomore outside hitter Eve Fountain, and junior middle blocker Haley Fleischman. Second-team honorees included junior rightside hitter Sidney Sledge and senior libero Taylan Keefer. Keefer was also named Bellevue's NAIA Champions of Character representative.
Kerns, who earned second-team honors last season, was second on this year's squad with 294 kills and 2.88 kills per set. She is hitting .240 on the season. Kerns has also amassed 101 digs and 47 total blocks. She has registered double-figure kill totals in 16 matches this season, including a season-high 17 kills against (RV) Indiana Tech on Aug. 26.
In the latest NSAA-only statistics, Kerns ranks ninth in the league with 2.81 kills per set and 119 total kills in conference matches.
Kiviniemi currently leads the Bruins with 314 kills, 3.02 kills per set, and a .295 hitting percentage. She has recorded double-figure kill totals in 20 matches, including the last 14 contests.
Kiviniemi recorded a season-high 16 kills in BU's five-set loss to fifth-ranked Viterbo on Sept. 20.
In the latest conference-only statistics, Kiviniemi ranks third in kills (147), kills per set (3.42 kps), and hitting percentage (.309). She twice earned NSAA Attacker of the Week honors this season (Sept. 25 and Oct. 30).
Fountain earned her third first-team all-conference honor after sitting out last season with an injury. She is third on this year's team with 257 kills and second with 310 digs. Fountain leads this year's squad with 36 service aces.
Fountain has recorded a team-high six double-doubles on the season, including registering a season-high 16 kills and 26 digs in BU's four-set loss at fifth-ranked Viterbo on Oct. 20.
With her 10th kill at Waldorf on Oct. 19 and her 12th dig at Viterbo on Oct. 20, Fountain became just the ninth player in school history to record 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs in a career.
Fleischman garnered first-team honors after also being named to the first team during her freshman campaign in 2021. She leads this year's team with 89 total blocks (0.86 bps). Fleischman is fifth on this year's team with 170 kills and second with a .288 attacking percentage.
Fleischman registered eight kills on .417 hitting, along with seven blocks, in the Bruins' five-set loss to No. 5-ranked Viterbo on Sept. 20.
Sledge is fourth on the team with 200 kills and a .226 hitting percentage. She has recorded double-figure kill totals in five matches, including both times the Bruins played league champion Viterbo. Sledge pounded a season-high 14 kills on .367 hitting in BU's five-set loss to the V-Hawks on Sept. 20.
In the conference-only statistics, Sledge ranks ninth with a .226 attacking efficiency.
Keefer leads the Bruins with 520 digs and ranks second in the conference-only statistics with 256 digs and 5.95 digs per set.
Keefer has recorded double-figure dig totals in 27 matches this season, including a career-high 45 digs in the Bruins' five-set win at Mayville State on Sept. 29. Her 45 digs marked the second-highest single-match dig total in school history.
Keefer, named the NSAA Defender of the Week three times this season, has recorded 1,688 career digs, ranking ninth on the school career records chart.
The Bruins, who finished the regular season with a 22-8 overall record and an 8-4 league mark, earned the No. 3 seed in the NSAA Tournament, which will take place on Nov. 9-11 at the Watertown Civic Arena in Watertown, S.D. BU will battle the No. 6 seed Waldorf University in the first round on Thursday at 4 p.m.
2023 All-NSAA Volleyball Team
First Team All-Conference
|
Name |
Position |
Year |
School |
Hometown |
|
Kenzie Winker |
OH |
Senior |
Viterbo (Wis.) |
Holmen, Wis. |
|
Grace Rohde |
RS |
Junior |
Viterbo (Wis.) |
Winona, Minn. |
|
Jada Mitchell |
MH |
Sophomore |
Viterbo (Wis.) |
New Albin, Iowa |
|
RS |
Sophomore |
Bellevue (Neb.) |
Bellevue, Neb. |
|
|
Sadie Hansen |
S |
Junior |
Valley City State (N.D.) |
Oakes, N.D. |
|
Sydney Schell |
OH |
Junior |
Dakota State (S.D.) |
Aberdeen, S.D. |
|
Kenidi McCabe |
DS |
Junior |
Viterbo (Wis.) |
Decorah, Iowa |
|
Bailey Nelson |
OH |
Senior |
Valley City State (N.D.) |
Argusville, N.D. |
|
OH |
Senior |
Bellevue (Neb.) |
Omaha, Neb. |
|
|
Martina McGrath |
MH |
Junior |
Viterbo (Wis.) |
Richfield, Wis. |
|
Danielle Hagler |
MB |
Sophomore |
Valley City State (N.D.) |
Cando, N.D. |
|
Elora Passa |
S/OH |
Senior |
Mayville State (N.D.) |
Barnesville, Minn. |
|
OH |
Redshirt Sophomore |
Bellevue (Neb.) |
Omaha, Neb. |
|
|
MB |
Junior |
Bellevue (Neb.) |
Overton, Neb. |
Second Team All-Conference
|
Name |
Position |
Year |
School |
Hometown |
|
Natalie Hadrava |
L |
Graduate Student |
Mayville State (N.D.) |
Laporte, Minn. |
|
Maddie Connor |
S |
Sophomore |
Viterbo (Wis.) |
Germantown, Wis. |
|
Kate VanRooyan |
L |
Freshman |
Dakota State (S.D.) |
Dakota Dunes, S.D. |
|
S |
Senior |
Bellevue (Neb.) |
Council Bluffs, Iowa |
|
|
Kenzie Kidd |
OH |
Senior |
Waldorf (Iowa) |
Roscoe, Ill. |
|
Morgan Freije |
RS |
Sophomore |
Valley City State (N.D.) |
Edmore, N.D. |
|
RS |
Junior |
Bellevue (Neb.) |
Omaha, Neb. |
|
|
McKenzie Moser |
OH |
Junior |
Dickinson State (N.D.) |
Bismarck, N.D |
2023 NSAA Women's Volleyball Postseason Awards
Player of the Year: Kenzie Winker - Viterbo
Offensive Player of the Year: Jada Mitchell – Viterbo
Libero Player of the Year: Kenidi McCabe - Viterbo
Setter of the Year: Saide Hansen - Valley City State
Freshman of the Year: Kate VanRooyan - Dakota State
Coach of the Year: Ryan DeLong, Viterbo
Assistant Coach of the Year: Thomas Robson, Viterbo