BU extends streak to seven with wins over Judson, SAU

DAVENPORT, Iowa -- The eighth-ranked Bellevue University volleyball team extended its winning streak to seven matches with a pair of wins on Saturday in the final day of action at the St. Ambrose Invitational. BU opened the day with a 3-0 sweep over Judson (Ill.) University and closed out the tournament with a 3-1 win over host school, St. Ambrose University.

The Bruins improved to 11-2 on the season with the two victories. 

Bellevue will travel to Sioux Center, Iowa, on Tuesday, Sept. 17, for a 7 p.m. non-conference contest at Dordt University. 

Bellevue 3, Judson 0

BU hit .295 and used the powerful attacking of junior outside hitter Eve Fountain to secure the 3-0 (25-20, 25-17, 25-21) victory over Judson in the opener. 

Fountain pounded 17 kills on .424 hitting while adding 21 digs for her team-leading fifth double-double of the season. 

Kealy Kiviniemi added nine kills, while Chloe Cloud and Sidney Sledge chipped in with six kills apiece. 

Taylan Keefer joined Fountain defensively in double figures, finishing with 14 digs. 

Mila Aiwohi (23) and Victoria Runyan (18) combined for 41 assists in the victory. 

The Eagles were paced by Alyssa Gerzel, who finished with 14 kills and seven digs. 

The Bruins used a 9-3 run midway through the first set and capitalized on eight Eagle errors en route to the 25-20 win in the opener. Fountain led BU in the first frame with four kills and seven digs. 

BU raced out to an 8-3 lead in the second following a 7-1 run capped by a kill from Kiviniemi. JU used a 3-0 spurt to pull to within one point at 14-13 after an attack error by Kenzie Polk. The Bruins regained the momentum, using a four-point run highlighted by kills from Fountain, Runyan, and Sledge, giving BU a 22-16 lead. BU closed the set on kills by Fountain and Sledge and a block by Cloud and Fountain to earn the 25-17 victory. 

Fountain took over in the third set, registering eight kills on 13 swings as BU closed out the match with the 25-21 win.  

Bellevue 3, St. Ambrose 1

Junior Savanna Berger posted career-highs with eight kills (on .438 hitting) and eight blocks to help lead the Bruins to the 3-1 (25-19, 20-25, 25-18, 25-17) victory over SAU in the nightcap. BU out-blocked the Bees 16-2 in the win. 

Kiviniemi paced BU offensively with 14 kills on .281 hitting while adding three blocks and a dig. Polk and Fountain added nine kills each. 

Fountain and Keefer anchored the Bruin defense with 15 digs apiece, and Aiwohi (26) and Runyan (15) combined for 41 assists. 

The Bees were led by Trenyce Bonner and Mackenzie Grafton, who each registered 12 kills. Grafton had a double-double, adding 17 digs. 

Neither team could establish any separation in the opening set, with the largest lead being three points until back-to-back blocks by Berger and Sledge and a kill by Fountain gave the Bruins a 19-15 advantage, forcing the first timeout of the match. The Bees answered with three straight points to pull to within one at 19-18 following a kill by Grafton. Three kills by Kiviniemi keyed a 5-0 run to close out the set, giving BU the opener, 25-19.

After the Bruins built an early four-point edge in the second frame, SAU used a 6-1 scoring run to take a 14-12 lead. Bellevue quickly responded with three-straight capped by consecutive kills by Berger, giving BU a 15-14 lead. The Bees scored the final five points of the set to take the second, 25-20.

BU gained a four-point advantage in the third at 17-13 after scoring three straight points, highlighted by an emphatic kill from Fountain and a block by Fountain and Cloud. BU extended the margin to six points at 20-14 following consecutive SAU hitting errors. Berger had two blocks and a kill in the final four points as the Bruins took a 2-1 lead in the match with the 25-18 victory. 

Five early SAU hitting errors helped the Bruins gain a 13-7 advantage in the fourth stanza. After the Bees battled back to within one point at 15-14 following a 7-2 run, BU answered with five-straight points capped by kills from Polk and Kiviniemi to surge ahead 20-14. The Bees never got closer than five points during the remainder of the set, and BU ended the match with a slam to the floor by Berger, giving the Bruins the 25-17 win.