Dickinson State upsets No. 3 Bruins in five sets

Box Score
FC Standings

DICKINSON, N.D. -- The third-ranked Bellevue University volleyball team fell just short in a tightly contested Frontier Conference battle, dropping a 3-2 decision (22-25, 25-19, 17-25, 25-23, 15-10) to Dickinson State University on Saturday afternoon at Scott Gymnasium. The Blue Hawks used a late surge to close out the final set and remain unbeaten in league play.

With the loss, Bellevue moves to 5-2 overall and 1-1 in Frontier Conference action. Dickinson State improves to 7-1 on the season and 3-0 in league play.

Kealy Kiviniemi led all players with a career-high 25 kills on a .452 attack percentage. Eve Fountain contributed 11 kills and 14 digs for her third double-double of the season. Zoie Roghair matched Fountain with a team-high 14 digs, and Mila Aiwohi handed out 26 assists. Savanna Berger led the team at the net with six blocks. As a team, Bellevue hit .242 with 64 kills and 13.0 total blocks.

For Dickinson State, Aubrey Allison and Carmen Pallone paced the Blue Hawks with 11 and 10 kills, respectively, while Rylee Kogolshak directed the offense with 33 assists and added 11 digs. The Blue Hawks totaled 10.0 blocks and served up nine aces in the victory. 

Set 1: Dickinson State 25, Bellevue 22

Dickinson State took the opening set 25-22 after fending off a late Bellevue push. The set remained tightly contested through the early stages with ties at 3-3 and 6-6. The Blue Hawks then used a 7-3 stretch—highlighted by kills from Cate Floy and Carmen Pallone and a service ace by Taylor Fischer—to move ahead 13-9.

Bellevue stayed close with kills from Kiviniemi, Berger, and Morgan Wale, pulling within 15-13 after a pair of Dickinson State errors. However, DSU capitalized on Bruin miscues and found offense from Aubrey Allison and Makyah Albrecht to push the margin to 21-15.

Trailing 23-15, Bellevue rallied with a 7-2 run that included kills from Kiviniemi, Berger, and Kenzie Polk, as well as blocks by Kiviniemi and Chloe Cloud. The Blue Hawks called a timeout at 23-20 to halt the momentum and closed out the set shortly after with a kill by Pallone.

Set 2: Bellevue 25, Dickinson State 19

Bellevue used a 9-3 run to break open a 6-6 tie and take control of the second set. The surge was highlighted by kills from Fountain, Kiviniemi, and Cloud, along with a block by Cloud to push the lead to 15-10.

Dickinson State pulled within five at 20-15 following a kill by Carmen Pallone, but Bellevue answered with points from A'Lailah Perry and Rowyn Scheer to maintain distance. Fountain's fifth kill of the set made it 24-19, and a block from Kiviniemi and Cloud closed out the frame to even the match at one set apiece. 

Set 3: Bellevue 25, Dickinson State 17

Bellevue opened the third set with five of the first six points and never trailed again. Kiviniemi and Kenzie Polk delivered early kills, and Fountain added a service ace to help the Bruins build a 4-1 lead.

The Blue Hawks got as close as 9-8 following a pair of BU attack errors, but Bellevue responded with back-to-back kills from Berger and Scheer to spark a 6-1 stretch that extended the lead to 15-9. A service ace by Zoie Roghair and a kill from Victoria Runyan helped keep BU in control.

Late kills from Fountain, Kiviniemi, and Berger pushed the margin to 24-17, and Bellevue clinched the match with a block from Fountain and Berger on set point.

Set 4: Dickinson State 25, Bellevue 23

Dickinson State forced a deciding fifth set by edging Bellevue in a tightly contested fourth frame. The Blue Hawks used a 5-1 run to build an early 8-3 lead, but the Bruins battled back to knot the score at 10-10 with key contributions from Fountain, Cloud, and Kiviniemi. 

Bellevue later pulled ahead 15-11 behind two kills from Kiviniemi and a Fountain ace, but DSU responded with a 6-1 surge to move in front 17-16. The teams traded leads down the stretch, with a Berger block giving BU a 19-18 edge.

However, DSU closed strong, using a service ace by Cameron Gouw and multiple Bruin miscues to gain a 23-19 cushion. Kills by Fountain and Kiviniemi helped BU stay close, but the Blue Hawks sealed the set on an Allison kill to even the match.

Set 5: Dickinson State 15, Bellevue 10

DSU held a narrow 5-4 lead early in the final frame before taking advantage of three Bellevue errors to go up 8-5. The Blue Hawks maintained a three-point edge through 11-8, but the Bruins closed the gap with a kill by Fountain and a DSU attack error to make it 11-10.

From there, the Blue Hawks scored the final four points. After a kill by Aubrey Allison, two consecutive DSU blocks on Kiviniemi's attacks, including the match-clinching point, helped the Blue Hawks secure the 15-10 win and complete the 3-2 comeback. 

Up Next:

The Bruins return to Bellevue on Wednesday, Sept. 10, for the home conference opener against No. 24-ranked Dakota State University in the BU Fieldhouse. It will mark the first regular-season match in the Bruins' new arena.