Box Score
NSAA Tournament Site
WATERTOWN, S.D. -- Outside hitters Sierra Athen and Eve Fountain and rightside hitter Jacki Apel combined for 38 kills to lead the No. 2-seeded Bellevue University volleyball team to a 3-1 (18-25, 25-17, 25-17, 25-15) victory over No. 3 Dakota State University Friday evening in the semifinals of the North Star Athletic Association Tournament being played at the Watertown Civic Arena.
With the win, Bellevue (23-6) advances to the NSAA Tournament championship match. The Bruins will battle the winner of the 7 p.m. match against No. 1 Viterbo and No. 4 Valley City State. The championship match is set for 2 p.m. on Saturday. The winner of that match will receive an automatic berth into the NAIA National Tournament with the Opening Round beginning on Saturday, Nov. 20.
Athen finished with 13 kills on .290 hitting while adding six digs and three blocks.
Fountain recorded her team-leading 19th double-double of the season after registering 13 kills and 20 digs while adding five blocks.
Apel pounded 12 kills on .435 hitting while adding three blocks.
Led by freshman Haley Fleischman's eight blocks, the Bruins out-blocked DSU, 13-5, while also holding a 73-62 advantage in total digs.
Taylan Keefer anchored the Bruin defense, finishing with a match-high 23 digs.
Olivia Galas produced 42 assists, seven kills, and eight digs in the victory while directing the BU offense to a .275 attacking clip.
Hannah Viet paced the Trojans with 13 kills on .462 hitting while adding a pair of blocks. Maddie Polzin added 11 kills and five digs.
The Bruins hit just .098 in the first set, plagued by seven attacking errors as DSU led from start to finish. The Trojans hit .316 in the opening set while cruising to the 25-18 victory.
Bellevue raised its hitting percentage in each of the final three sets, never trailing as BU hit .294, .333, and .419 in the second, third, and fourth sets while securing the four-set victory.
This will mark the Bruins' third appearance in the NSAA Tournament championship match after runner-up finishes in 2017 and 2020.
