No. 8 Bruins earn five-set win at Dakota State

Box Score
NSAA Standings

MADISON, S.D. -- Junior Kealy Kiviniemi produced 18 kills, including six in the final set, to help the eighth-ranked Bellevue University volleyball team earn a 3-2 (20-25, 25-22, 26-24, 13-15, 15-9 victory at (RV) Dakota State University in North Star Athletic Association action Thursday night at the DSU Fieldhouse. It marked the second five-set win over the Trojans this season. 

The Bruins improved to 22-3 on the season and 5-1 in the NSAA. BU extended its winning streak to eight matches. DSU fell to 14-9 overall and 3-3 in league play. 

Sidney Sledge joined Kiviniemi in double figures, finishing with 11 kills, three digs, and one block. Savanna Berger and Eve Fountain added nine kills apiece and Haley Fleischman finished with eight kills on .348 hitting. 

Mila Aiwohi recorded her seventh double-double of the season, registering 34 assists and 12 digs. Victoria Runyan dished out 24 assists and added nine digs. 

Taylan Keefer paced the BU defense with a team-high 19 digs. 

Brooklyn Grage led the Trojans with 13 kills, five digs, and two blocks. Sydney Schell notched a double-double with 11 kills and 15 digs. Gwendolyn Vongkasemsiri registered nine kills and a match-high 10 blocks.  

Sparked by two kills apiece from Hailey Wathen, Trystn Maras, and Schell, the Trojans raced out to a 12-6 lead in the opening set. After Bellevue countered with a three-point run, DSU answered with a 5-2 spurt to regain a six-point advantage at 18-12. BU scored four of the next five points to force a Trojan timeout, with DSU leading 19-16. The Trojans responded out of the timeout, scoring the next four points to gain a 23-16 edge. After three straight BU points, DSU used a kill by Wathen and a BU-hitting error to earn the 25-20 victory. BU middles Fleischman and Berger led BU in the first set with three kills each. 

Similar to the first frame, the Trojans got out of the gates quickly, opening up an early 10-4 advantage in the second set. Sparked by kills from Berger and Kiviniemi, BU rallied to within two points at 10-8 following a 4-0 run. Highlighted by a pair of kills from Sledge and two service aces from Kenzie Polk, the Bruins used an 8-0 run to gain a 17-13 edge. After DSU tied the set at 19-all, three kills from Kiviniemi helped the Bruins pull away to take the set, 25-22, closing on a 6-3 run. 

Neither team could establish control in the third frame, which featured 12 ties and six lead changes. After the 12th tie at 24-24, kills by Sledge and Polk gave BU the 26-24 victory and a 2-1 lead in the match. 

The Trojans sprinted out to a 10-4 lead in the fourth set. A kill by Schell and two consecutive BU attacking errors extended the DSU lead to nine points at 20-11. The Trojans scored the final four points of the set to cruise to the 25-13 victory, forcing a deciding set. 

Three early kills by Kiviniemi and a pair of DSU attacking errors helped BU build a 9-5 lead in the fifth frame. Two more kills from Kiviniemi and an attack error by Vongkasemsiri helped BU build a 13-8 margin. Kills by Fleischman and Kiviniemi gave the Bruins the 15-9 win.  

The Bruins will host Dickinson State University next Friday, Oct. 25, beginning at 6 p.m. in the Gordon Lozier Athletic Center. The match will also be BU's annual Dig Pink Night.