Balanced Attack Lifts Bellevue to Road Sweep at Carroll
HELENA, Mont. -- The No. 7-ranked Bellevue University volleyball team turned in a balanced offensive performance to earn a 3–0 Frontier Conference road victory over (RV) Carroll College on Saturday evening inside the PE Center. Set scores were 25–20, 25–15, and 25–20.
With the win, Bellevue extended its winning streak to eight matches, improving to 18–3 overall and 14–2 in Frontier Conference play. CC fell to 13–10 overall and 8–7 in the league.
Eve Fountain, Kealy Kiviniemi, and Bentlee Kollbaum each registered nine kills to lead a balanced BU attack, while Fountain also served a team-high four aces. Mila Aiwohi and Jada Nunn shared setting duties efficiently, finishing with 22 and 17 assists, respectively, as the Bruins hit .291 for the match.
Defensively, Zoie Roghair anchored the back row with 17 digs, and Chloe Cloud posted a match-high five blocks. Bellevue held statistical advantages in kills (42–30), hitting percentage (.291–.134), blocks (10–2), and aces (5–1).
For the Saints, Sidney Gulick led with nine kills on .300 hitting, and Taysa Conger added eight kills and eight digs.
With her nine kills, senior outside hitter Eve Fountain increased her career total to 1,765, moving further ahead in second place on Bellevue's all-time kills list. She trails only Sierra Athen (1,886; 2018–22) atop the program chart.
Set 1: Bellevue 25, Carroll 20
Bellevue and CC traded points through the early stages before the Bruins used a 4–0 run to grab a 14–10 lead. The stretch featured kills by Kiviniemi and Fountain, along with a Cloud/Fountain block on Rachael Stacey. The Saints narrowed the margin to 20–16, but BU closed strong, taking five of the final nine points behind kills from Kiviniemi and Kollbaum to secure the 25–20 win. The Bruins hit .257 with 15 kills and five total blocks in the opening frame.
Set 2: Bellevue 25, Carroll 15
The second set was tight early before Bellevue surged ahead late with a 9–1 closing run to pull away. The Bruins hit a blistering .417 with 11 kills, one error, on 24 swings, led by Kiviniemi and Kollbaum, who combined for six of those kills. Aiwohi assisted on eight of the team's 11 kills, and Fountain added a pair of aces during the decisive stretch that sealed the 25–15 victory.
Set 3: Bellevue 25, Carroll 20
Bellevue jumped out 5–1 behind kills from Kollbaum (2), Cloud, and Aiwohi. The Saints answered with a 7–3 push to even it at 10–10, and the sides traded points until CC took a 15–13 edge on a Taysa Conger kill and a BU attack error. The Bruins then closed the match on a 10–4 surge, including the final three points—capped by Fountain's ninth kill—to complete the sweep, 25–20.
The victory completed a season sweep of the Saints, as Bellevue also earned a 3–0 win on Sept. 13 in Bellevue.
Up Next: The Bruins travel to Dillon, Mont., next Wednesday, Oct. 22, for a Frontier Conference matchup at the University of Montana Western. First serve is set for 8 p.m. (CT).
