LaCROSSE, Wis. -- Second-ranked Viterbo University extended its winning streak to 27 matches with a dramatic come-from-behind five-set victory over No. 11-ranked Bellevue University Friday night in North Star Athletic Association action at the R.W. Beggs Sr. Gymnasium. VU battled back from a two-set deficit to earn the win, taking the match 19-25, 22-25, 25-19, 25-20, 19-17.
With the win, the V-Hawks clinched the NSAA regular-season crown and will be the No. 1 seed in next week's NSAA Tournament.
Bellevue, who had four match points in the fifth set, fell to 21-6 on the season and 10-3 in the NSAA. Viterbo improved to 34-1 overall and a perfect 13-0 in conference action.
Sierra Athen led the Bruins with 17 kills on .342 hitting while adding 13 digs, five blocks, and three assists. Jacki Apel hit at a season-high .464 attacking clip, finishing with 15 kills on the night.
Eve Fountain was the third Bruin in double figures as she notched her team-leading 19th double-double of the season, with 12 kills and 11 digs along with two blocks and a service ace.
Olivia Galas dished out 45 assists while adding seven digs and seven kills on .316 hitting.
Taylan Keefer anchored the BU defense with 16 digs.
All-American Miah Garant paced the V-Hawks with a match-high 23 kills on .513 hitting. She also added a match-high eight blocks.
Grace Rhode chipped in with 12 kills and five blocks and Kenzie Winker finished with 10 kills and 11 digs.
Trailing 9-4 in the fifth set, the Bruins used an 8-1 run sparked by five kills from Apel to take a 12-10 advantage. A block by Haley Fleischman and Athen on Maya Roberts gave the Bruins a 14-12 lead and two match points.
A kill on the outside by Garant saved the first match point and a BU attack error knotted the contest at 14-all. The Bruins had their third match point following a kill by Athen making it 15-14. Another BU attack error and a kill by Rhode gave Viterbo its first match point at 16-15.
A kill by Fountain and a solo block by Sienna Black on Garant gave BU its fourth match point at 17-16.
Garant tied the match with a definitive kill in the middle and a tool kill by Winker off the block gave the V-Hawks their second match point. Viterbo took the match on a Bruin hitting error to pull out the 19-17 victory.
The Bruins will close out the regular season on Saturday (Nov. 6) when they travel to Forest City, Iowa for a 1 p.m. contest at Waldorf University.
