JOLIET, ill. -- Four Bruins recorded at least seven kills as the 17th-ranked Bellevue University volleyball team earned a 3-0 (26-24, 25-18, 25-16) victory at the University of St. Francis (Ill.) in the Big Dogs Classic played in the Pat Sullivan Center Friday night.
It marked the third-straight sweep for the Bruins as BU moved to 5-0 on the season. USF fell to 0-2 overall.
Sidney Sledge led the Bruins with nine kills on .412 hitting. Haley Fleischman hit .333 with eight kills, along with three digs and a block. Eve Fountain produced seven kills, a team-high nine digs, and a pair of service aces. Allie Kerns finished with seven kills with just one error in 21 swings.
Jada Nunn (17) and Mila Aiwohi (16) combined for 33 assists while directing the BU offense to a .299 hitting clip.
Desiree Anderson and Gabriela Oliveira paced the Saints with 10 kills each.
Set 1: Bellevue 26, St. Francis 24
Kerns had three kills in an early 8-3 BU run as the Bruins established a 15-8 advantage in the opener. The Saints responded with seven straight points to tie the contest at 15-15. After a pair of kills by Sledge and another by Fountain pushed the Bruin lead to 19-16, the Saints once again countered with three consecutive points to knot the contest at 19-all.
After a kill by Kerns gave BU a 22-20 edge, the Saints scored four of the next five points to earn a set point at 24-23. A kill by Fleischman saved the set. A USF bad set and a kill by Sledge gave the Bruins the opener, 26-24.
Sledge led BU in the opener with six kills on .400 hitting. Kerns added four kills on seven swings. Fleischman recorded three kills on three errorless swings.
Set 2: Bellevue 25, St. Francis 18
Aided by five USF attacking errors, the Bruins broke away from a tied contest in the second, going on a 7-2 run to grab a 13-8 lead. Consecutive kills by Fountain and Kealy Kiviniemi made it a seven-point game at 18-11, forcing a Saint timeout.
After USF clawed its way back, scoring five of the next six points to pull to within two points at 18-16, the Bruins closed the set on a 7-2 run to earn the 25-18 victory, capped by a kill from Sledge.
Kiviniemi and Sledge paced the Bruins in the second frame with three kills apiece.
Set 3: Bellevue 25, St. Francis 16
BU used an 8-2 run to gain a 13-7 edge in the third stanza. After the Saints pulled to within three on a block by Desiree Anderson and Madison Koelker, BU scored four-straight, sparked by kills from Fleischman and Sledge and a service ace by Raeanne Kimoto to pull ahead, 17-10.
The Bruins scored four straight points to take a 24-14 lead. After USF saved two match points, Bellevue sealed the sweep with a kill by Kaylani Reis to make the final 25-16.
Up Next:
The Bruins will continue action in the tournament on Saturday (Aug. 26) with a 9 a.m. match against Cumberlands (Ky.) and a 2 p.m. contest with (RV) Indiana Tech.
