Box Score
SIOUX CITY, Iowa - The 21st-ranked Bellevue University volleyball team battled back from a two-set deficit, rallying in both the third and fourth sets, to force a deciding fifth game, before falling to No. 20 Lindenwood (Mo.) University 3-2 (25-18, 25-21, 24-26, 23-25, 15-6) Thursday afternoon at the 2010 NAIA National Tournament at the Tyson Event Center in Sioux City, Iowa.
The contest marked the final match of the 2010 season for both teams. The Bruins concluded the year with a 34-14 overall mark, while the Lions finished at 35-14 overall.
BU was paced by 14 kills by Kali Schnacker while Maureen Wardian added 13 kills. Also in double-figure kills were Ashley Wurdeman (12) and Jaclyn Thorson (11). Jordan Broady finished with her second double-double of the tournament, recording 47 assists and 19 digs. Katy Gregory led the Bruins' defense, tallying 23 digs.
With the first set tied at 7-7, the Lions used a 10-2 run to take control of the opening set, 17-9. The Bruins were able to cut LU's lead down to five, 20-15, but were unable to get any closer as the Lions finished the set on a 5-3 run to win, 25-18.
The Lions' strong play continued to open the second set, taking a 13-7 advantage. BU was able to cut its deficit down to three, 23-20, highlighted by three kills from Schnacker and two kills from Annie Benson, but the Lions scored two of the final three points to give them a 25-21 win in the second set.
The Bruins opened the third set, which featured 11 ties, by scoring three of the first four points to take an early 3-1 advantage. The Lions came back to take a 10-8 lead by using a 9-5 run. With the set tied at 13-all, BU scored three of the next four points to take a 16-14 edge. After a 5-3 Lions run tied the set at 19-19, the Bruins scored seven of the final 12 points to take the third set, 26-24. The Bruins hit .270 in the third set, while holding the Lions to a hitting percentage of just .133.
BU continued its momentum into the fourth set, taking an early 13-7 lead. After an 8-4 Lions' run cut BU's lead down to two, 17-15, the Bruins scored eight of the last 16 points to take the fourth set, 25-23, capped off by a service ace by Kirstine Linebaugh.
The Lions opened the fifth and final set by scoring six of the first seven points to take an early 6-1 lead. After a BU timeout, the Bruins were able to cut LU's lead down to four, 8-4, but were unable to get any closer, losing the set, 15-6.
BU hit .186 for the match, while LU finished with a hitting percentage of .232. The Lions also held an edge in digs, 97-88.
