YORK, Neb. - Four different players registered at least six kills as the Bellevue University volleyball used a balanced offensive attack to sweep their way to a 3-0 (25-23, 25-18, 25-19) victory in a Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference match-up with York College on Tuesday evening.
The victory was the third in a row for the Bruins who improve to 19-16 overall and 5-0 in the MCAC. The loss drops the host Panthers to 6-16 (2-2 MCAC) on the season.
Bellevue rallied from a multiple five-point deficit in the first set to claim a 25-23 victory and a lead of 1-0 in the match. Trailing 19-17, the Bruins scored three straight to take their first lead since 4-3 at 20-19 before holding on for the two point victory.
The second set was played a bit more back-and-forth with neither team getting more than two points of separation until Bellevue took a 10-7 lead on the strength of a 4-0 run. York was able to reclaim the lead at 15-14, a lead which was short-lived as the Bruins scored the next 10 points and didn't look back from there as they claimed a 25-18 victory and a commanding two sets to none lead in the match.
York struck first in the third set as the teams alternated the first six points of the set until Bellevue finally bucked that trend and took a 5-3 edge. York responded by scoring five of seven to reclaim the lead before BU knotted things up at eight apiece. The Bruins gained separation with a 7-1 run that turned a 10-10 tie into a 17-11 lead and Bellevue was well on their way to a 25-19 victory to claim the match in straight sets.
Bellevue out-hit York by a final margin of .295-.164 while also gaining 56 digs compared to 38 for York. Freshman Taylor Holz (Omaha, Neb.) led the way with 16 digs while junior Beth Walker (Dubuque, Iowa) directed the Bruin offense masterfully, compiling 38 of the team's 40 assists for the match and chipping in five digs of her own. Freshman Hannah Taylor (Hallam, Neb.) also finished the game with double-figure digs for the Bruins with 10.
Freshmen Rachel Wald (Omaha, Neb.) and Hope Lambrecht (Wood River, Neb.) were the top hitters for Bellevue, totaling 12 and nine kills, respectively. Lambrecht attacked at a .750 clip while Wald finished with a hitting percentage of .304 on 23 chances. Junior Symone Faulkner (Denver, Col.) and freshman Gracie Myers (Treynor, Iowa) each chipped in six kills while Walker added five.
Bellevue will return to the court on Tuesday, Oct. 28 when they host Concordia College (Neb.) in a 7:00 p.m. non-conference affair.
