No. 5 Bruins sweep Montana Western to extend win streak

Box Score
Frontier Standings

BELLEVUE, Neb. -- The fifth-ranked Bellevue University volleyball team secured its fifth consecutive victory with a sweep over the University of Montana Western, winning 25-13, 25-10, 25-21 in Frontier Conference action Saturday afternoon at the Bellevue University Fieldhouse.

With the win, Bellevue improved to 10-2 overall and 6-1 in conference play, while the Bulldogs dropped to 6-8 overall and 4-3 in league action.

Senior Eve Fountain paced the Bruins with seven kills, 13 digs, and a match-high five service aces. Bentlee Kollbaum led all hitters with 10 kills on .389 hitting, while Kealy Kiviniemi and A'Lailah Perry each added five kills on .400 clips. Perry also contributed two block assists. Morgan Wale was efficient with three kills on four errorless swings.

Mila Aiwohi directed the offense with 19 assists and two aces, and Victoria Runyan supplied 10 assists, six digs, and three aces. Bellevue finished with 15 service aces as a team and outhit UMW .333 to .136.

Set 1 — Bellevue 25, UMW 13

The Bruins jumped out quickly, using back-to-back aces from Fountain and a kill by Wale to fuel a 5-0 start. Kamryn Scheib later added an ace as Bellevue surged to a 10-1 advantage. The Bulldogs trimmed the deficit to 14-9 after kills from Jaiden Perez and Averi Look, but Bellevue closed strong with three aces from Runyan and Butler to seal the opening frame.

Set 2 — Bellevue 25, UMW 10

Bellevue again raced ahead early, building an 8-1 cushion behind kills from Kiviniemi, Kollbaum, and Fountain. Savanna Berger took over mid-set with two kills during a 5-0 spurt that stretched the margin to 13-3. Fountain added consecutive aces late, and Runyan capped the set with a service ace as BU rolled to a 2-0 lead.

Set 3 — Bellevue 25, UMW 21

The Bulldogs fought back in the third, pulling even at 9-9 on a Perez kill. Bellevue responded with a decisive 7-1 run to go ahead 16-10, paced by kills from five different Bruins. UMW rallied late, closing to within 21-19 behind a pair of kills from Kennedy Lingenfelter, but Bellevue maintained control as Rowyn Scheer and Fountain delivered key points before Chloe Cloud ended the match with a kill on set point. 

Up Next:

The Bruins will head to Great Falls, Mont., on Friday, Sept. 26, for a top-5 clash at No. 4-ranked University of Providence. The match will begin at 8 p.m. (CT).