No. 5 Bellevue Sweeps No. 19 MTU in Top-20 Clash

Box Score
Frontier Standings

BELLEVUE, Neb. -- The fifth-ranked Bellevue University volleyball team secured its fourth-straight victory with a sweep of No. 19 Montana Tech University, 25-19, 25-16, 25-18, on Friday evening in Frontier Conference action at the BU Fieldhouse.

With the win, Bellevue improved to 9-2 overall and 5-1 in conference play, while the Orediggers fell to 9-3 on the season and 5-1 in league action.

Kealy Kiviniemi led all players with 12 kills on .600 hitting. Rowyn Scheer added seven kills, while Morgan Wale provided five kills on six errorless swings. Bentlee Kollbaum also tallied five kills on .333 hitting, and Savanna Berger turned in a strong all-around performance with four kills and a team-high five blocks.

Mila Aiwohi and Victoria Runyan paced the offense with 20 and 15 assists, respectively, while also combining for 12 digs. Ali Butler chipped in a team-high 11 digs and two service aces. Bellevue hit .257 for the match while limiting MTU to a .059 attack percentage.

Set 1: Bellevue 25, Montana Tech 19

Bellevue set the tone early with a 9-2 run to build a 14-5 advantage, fueled by kills from Kiviniemi, Wale, and Kollbaum. MTU clawed back late, pulling within 21-16 behind an ace from Emmy Green and kills by Kinnidi Willmore and Payton Treadwell, but the Bruins responded with key points from Scheer and Kiviniemi to close out the opening frame.

Set 2: Bellevue 25, Montana Tech 16

The Orediggers hung close through the early stages, tying the score at 5-5, before Bellevue seized control with an 8-0 spurt. Berger sparked the run with three kills, while Runyan added an ace as BU surged to a 13-5 lead. The Bruins controlled the remainder of the set, finishing on a block by Berger.

Set 3: Bellevue 25, Montana Tech 18

Bellevue raced out to a 5-1 lead behind two early kills from Wale. MTU closed within 10-9 after a kill by Talan Dodson, but the Bruins answered with four straight points and never let the Orediggers get closer than four the rest of the way. Kiviniemi provided the exclamation point with a pair of late kills to finish off the sweep. 

Up Next: 

The Bruins will host the University of Montana Western tomorrow (Sept. 20) at 1 p.m. in the BU Fieldhouse.