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Bruins advance to quarterfinals after taking tiebreakers over MU, UP

Bruins advance to quarterfinals after taking tiebreakers over MU, UP
December 6, 2024

SIOUX CITY, Iowa -- The Bellevue University volleyball team battled through a pair of tiebreaker sets at the NAIA Volleyball National Championship, defeating Marian University, 25-22 in the opener, before cruising to a 25-11 victory over the University of Providence, to earn a spot in the NAIA National Championship quarterfinals.  

Eve Fountain pounded 13 kills in the two sets to lead the Bruins into the quarters. 

Note: No official statistics were taken for either tiebreaker set. 

Bellevue 25, Marian 22

Kealy Kiviniemi and Eve Fountain produced six kills each to lead the Bruins to the 25-22 win over Marian in the opening tiebreaker. 

Fountain, Kiviniemi, and Kenzie Polk combined for six early kills as BU raced out to an early 9-4 lead. 

After the Crusaders battled back to within a point, Fountain slammed four kills in a 6-1 BU run as the Bruins pushed the advantage to six points at 22-16. Marian answered with four straight, capped by a pair of kills from Madison Brooks to make it a two-point contest at 22-20. Savanna Berger pounded two kills in the final three points to give BU the 25-22 victory. 

Bellevue 25, Providence 11

Once again, Fountain dominated in the win over Providence, with seven kills and two blocks in the tiebreaker set. 

Fountain produced three early kills and was part of two blocks as BU built an early 10-5 advantage, capped by a service ace from Raeanne Kimoto. 

The Argos battled back to within a point at 11-10 following a 4-0 run, fueled by back-to-back kills by Nina Janjic. Bellevue countered with 12 straight points, ending the set on a 14-1 run to earn its spot in the quarters.  

Up Next:

The Bruins will take on fourth-seeded Concordia (Neb.) University at 2 p.m. on Saturday in the NAIA National Championship quarterfinals. It marks the third time in program history Bellevue has advanced to the quarters, with the most recent coming in 2021. The Bruins will be seeking their first-ever appearance in the championship semifinals.