BU punches ticket to Sioux City with 4-set win over IU-East

Box Score
NAIA Opening Round Results

BELLEVUE, Neb. -- The 18th-ranked Bellevue University volleyball team used a balanced attack with five Bruins recording at least nine kills as BU defeated Indiana University-East, 3-1 (25-19, 24-26, 25-17, 29-27) in the NAIA National Championship Opening Round Saturday afternoon at Bellevue West High School. 

Win the win, the Bruins improved to 25-9 on the season. IUE ended its season at 27-9. 

Outside hitter Eve Fountain led the Bruins with 14 kills, along with nine digs and four blocks. Kealy Kiviniemi registered 13 kills on .345 hitting. She also added four digs and a pair of blocks. 

Sidney Sledge hit .571 with 12 kills on 21 errorless swings. Allie Kerns pounded 12 kills on .370 hitting while adding four digs and two blocks.  Haley Fleischman finished with nine kills on .600 hitting while adding four blocks. 

Defensively, Morgan Wale recorded a match-high five blocks, and Taylan Keefer finished with a team-high 18 digs, as the Bruins held IUE to a .170 attacking efficiency. 

Mila Aiwohi (30) and Jada Nunn (25) combined for 55 assists while directing the BU offense to an efficient .348 hitting percentage. 

The Red Wolves were paced by Teah Barrett Matthews' match-high 16 kills. Jessica Swimm registered a double-double, finishing 12 kills and 13 digs. 

Set 1: Bellevue 25, IU-East 19

After the Red Wolves gained an early 8-4 advantage capped by a service ace from Briann Robinson, the Bruins battle back with a 6-1 run to take a 10-9 lead, sparked by a pair of kills from Sledge, and a service ace by Aiwohi. 

A pair of Red Wolf hitting errors and an overpass kill by Fleischman forced IU-East to take its first timeout at 13-11. 

Three kills by Kerns help BU expand the margin to five points at 20-15. The Red Wolves got as close as three points before the Bruins scored four of the final five points to earn the 25-19 victory. 

Fountain and Kerns combined for 11 kills on 18 swings as both hit .556 to lead the BU offense in the opener. Schultheis and Matthews had three kills apiece to pace IUE.  

Set 2: IU-East 26, Bellevue 24

Similar to the first set, the Red Wolves built an early three-point advantage, only to see the Bruins battle back with a 6-0 run highlighted by an emphatic block by Fountain, giving BU a 10-7 edge. 

After the Red Wolves tied the contest at 10-all, BU went on a 5-0 run capped by kills from Fleischman and Sledge to take a 15-10 lead. 

The two teams traded the next eight points until a 4-0 IUE run made it a one-point contest at 18-17. After the Bruins built a three-point cushion, the Red Wolves rebounded with a 4-1 spurt to tie the set at 23-all on a kill by Brooke Lepper and a service ace by Swimm. 

A service ace by Ella Bickel and a kill by Schultheis gave the Red Wolves the second frame, 26-24. 

Set 3: Bellevue 25, IU-East 17

The Bruins raced out to a 5-1 run in the third set, only to see IUE battle back with a 4-1 spurt to pull to within a point at 9-8 following a Bruin attacking error.

BU pushed the margin to seven points at 18-11, following back-to-back kills by Sledge and another overpass kill from Fleischman. 

The Red Wolves drew to within five points following a service ace by Bickel, but that was as close as IUE would get as BU earned the 25-17 victory, cemented by a kill from Kiviniemi.  

Set 4: Bellevue 29, IU-East 27

IUE surged out to an 8-3 lead in the fourth stanza, highlighted by back-to-back kills by Matthews. BU battled back with kills by Fountain, Sledge, and Fleischman to slice the margin to two points at 8-6. 

Two kills by Kiviniemi and Kerns and a block by Wale and Fountain helped the Bruins surge ahead 14-13.  

After the two teams traded three-point runs, IUE used a 2-0 spurt to take a 19-17 lead. With the Red Wolves maintaining a two-point edge at 22-20, the Bruins tied the contest on an IUE attacking error and a kill by Kiviniemi. 

A Bruin service error gave IUE a set point at 24-23. BU responded with kills by Kiviniemi and Fleischman to gain a match point at 25-24. A kill by Matthews and a service ace by Lepper gave IUE a set point at 26-25. Kiviniemi saved the Red Wolves' second set point with a cross-court kill. Kills by Fleischman and Sledge and an attack error by Matthews gave the Bruins the match with the dramatic 29-27 fourth-set victory.  

Up Next:

Pool play assignments and schedules for the NAIA Volleyball National Championship Final Site will be announced on Sunday, Nov. 19, at 5 p.m. The tournament will take place on Nov. 29-Dec. 5 at Tyson Arena in Sioux City, Iowa.