SALINA, Kan. – Juniors Symone Faulkner (Denver, Colo.) and Beth Walker (Dubuque, Iowa) showcased their on-court leadership to lead the Bellevue University volleyball team to a sweep in a triangular on Saturday afternoon at Mabee Arena on the campus of Kansas Wesleyan University. The Bruins defeated McPherson College in the opener 3-0 (25-20, 25-16, 25-19) before rallying to stun host Kansas Wesleyan in a 3-2 (18-25, 18-25, 25-19, 25-20, 15-10) thriller in the nightcap.
The pair of victories extended Bellevue's winning streak to eight and the Bruins now stand at 8-11 on the season. For BU, it is their longest winning streak since stringing together 14 straight from Sept. 7 through Oct. 4 of last season.
Match One: Bellevue 3, McPherson 0 (25-20, 25-16, 25-19)
Bellevue scored seven straight points to overcome a 6-0 deficit in the third set as the Bruins won their seventh straight match, 3-0, over McPherson. After dispatching the Bulldogs with relative ease in the first two sets Bellevue encountered some resistance with McPherson scoring the first six points of the final set before BU, ultimately, secured a 25-19 victory to claim the match.
The Bellevue attack was primarily orchestrated by setter Beth Walker who notched a game-best 26 assists to lead the offensive charge. Walker also finished with seven digs, just missing on her ninth double-double of the year. Faulkner tallied a game-high 11 kills and hit at a .526 clip.
Freshmen libero Taylor Holz (Omaha, Neb.) and defensive specialist Addison Smith (Papillion, Neb.) were the BU dig leaders with 14 and nine, respectively as the Bruins held a 50-36 edge in that category.
Bellevue was led by Faulkner's outstanding effort on their way to out-hitting McPherson by a margin of .229-.086. She was aided by sophomore LaJaida Even (Waverly, Iowa) who finished with eight kills and a .294 attack percentage and Walker who totaled four kills and hit .231.
Match Two: Bellevue3, Kansas Wesleyan 2 (18-25, 18-25, 25-19, 25-20, 15-10)
In the nightcap Bellevue saw the hosts get out to a solid two sets to none lead on the strength of back-to-back 25-18 victories in the first two sets. From there Bellevue would turn the tables winning the next two sets by scores of 25-19 and 25-20, respectively to force a decisive fifth set to determine the victor.
BU struck first and never trailed in the fifth set on their way to recording the upset victory. The Bruins score four of the first five points in the set before the Coyotes - who were receiving votes in the most recent national poll - would turn the tables and return the favor, tying the match at 5-5 in the fifth. Four straight points by the Bruins would give Bellevue a 9-5 lead, a lead which they would hold until. After the Bruins scored four straight, Kansas Wesleyan called a timeout to try to stem the tide and it seemed to work as the Coyotes scored three of the next four points to crawl back into the match at 10-8. Alas, it wasn't to be for the host side as BU strung together two straight, forcing another Kansas Wesleyan timeout before holding on for the 15-10 victory. The victory was sealed when Jori Mote's attack was blocked to the ground by Walker and Faulkner.
Symone Faulkner led three players with double-digit kills, totaling 17 – against just two attack errors – on her way to hitting a match-high .500. Freshman Gracie Myers (Treynor, Iowa) and LaJaida Even finished with 11 and 10 kills, respectively.
Beth Walker scored her team-leading ninth double-double in the victory, finishing with 48 assists to go along with 14 digs, four block assists, and five kills (.231). Faulkner and freshman Hope Lambrecht (Wood River, Neb.) {6 kills} each finished the match with a block solo and four block assists defensively.
Taylor Holz led the team with 20 digs while Addison Smith added 14 for the Bruins who totaled 68 for the match compared to 60 for the Coyotes. Bellevue also held a 10-9 advantage in blocks for the match.
Freshman Rachel Wald (Omaha, Neb.) had eight kills and a .261 hitting percentage to help BU to out-hit Kansas Wesleyan by a final count of .231-.151.
Bellevue will return to the court when they travel to Dubuque, Iowa to compete at the Clarke University Tournament on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 26-27. The Bruins will take on Cardinal Stritch University and Robert Morris University on Friday at 4:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., respectively, before a noon affair with Mount Mercy University and a 4:00 p.m. match-up with host Clarke University on Saturday.
