MADISON, S.D. -- Brookly Grage (16) and Sydney Schell (12) combined for 28 kills to lead Dakota State University to a 3-1 (19-25, 25-23, 25-23, 25-15) victory over 15th-ranked Bellevue University Tuesday night in North Star Athletic Association action at the DSU Fieldhouse.
The loss dropped the Bruins to 16-6 on the season and 4-3 in the NSAA. Dakota State improved to 10-10 overall and 3-4 in league play.
After cruising to the first-set victory, BU let big leads slip away in the second and third sets, and DSU led from start to finish in the fourth frame to seal the 3-1 victory for the Trojans.
Kealy Kiviniemi recorded her sixth-straight match with double-figure kills, leading the Bruins with 12 kills along with four digs and a pair of blocks.
Eve Fountain registered her fourth double-double of the season, finishing with 11 kills and 13 digs. Allie Kerns was the third Bruin in double figures, finishing with 10 kills along with two blocks.
Mila Aiwohi (23) and Jada Nunn (16) combined for 39 assists in directing the BU offense to a .176 attacking efficiency.
Taylan Keefer anchored the Bruin defense with a team-high 24 digs.
Grage led DSU with 16 kills on .333 hitting, along with five digs and three blocks. Schell recorded a double-double with 12 kills and 17 digs.
Madalyn Groft tallied nine kills, nine digs, and seven assists.
Maddi Langerock produced 37 assists, 25 digs, and four kills in the Trojan victory.
Set 1: Bellevue 25, Dakota State 19
Three kills by Kerns keyed an 8-1 BU run as the Bruins built a 16-7 opening-set lead. Four different Bruins recorded a kill in a 5-1 run as BU extended the margin to 10 points at 21-11. The Trojans responded with a 7-2 spurt to pull to within five points at 23-18.
A pair of kills by Sledge helped the Bruins earn the 25-19 first-set victory.
Kiviniemi and Kerns collected four kills apiece, and both hit above .400 to lead the BU offense in the opener.
Grage paced the Trojans with four kills in the opening set on .571 hitting.
Set 2: Dakota State 25, Bellevue 23
Two consecutive blocks, both involving Fleischman, sparked a seven-point Bruin run as BU gained a 10-5 advantage to open the second frame. The Trojans responded with back-to-back aces by Julia Drietz to pull back to within two points at 10-8.
After a 7-3 BU run helped the Bruins gain a six-point edge at 20-14, the Trojans scored eight of the next 10 points to force a BU timeout at 22-all.
After consecutive kills by Grage gave DSU two set points at 24-22, a kill by Sledge saved the first set point before another kill by Grage gave the Trojans the 25-23 victory.
Fountain led BU in the second stanza with seven kills on .412 hitting.
Set 3: Dakota State 25, Bellevue 23
Back-to-back kills by Kiviniemi completed a 4-0 Bruin run as BU built a 15-9 advantage in the third set.
The Trojans battled back from a 19-14 deficit, using a 6-2 run to make it a one-point contest at 21-20 following a kill by Langerock.
A pair of kills by Grage completed a four-point DSU run to close out the set, giving the Trojans the 25-23 win.
Kiviniemi paced the BU offense in the third set with six putaways.
Set 4: Dakota State 25, Bellevue 15
Neither team led by more than two points in the fourth set until the Trojans used a 4-0 run to take an 11-6 lead. DSU extended the margin to 19-10, capped by a service ace from Grage, a solo block by Gwendolyn Vongkasemsiri, and a kill by Schell.
After Fountain saved the first match point with a cross-court kill, Groft ended the match by tooling the Bruin block, giving DSU the 25-15 win.
DSU outhit the Bruins .225 to .043 in the fourth frame.
Up Next:
The Bruins will host the Marvel Classic this Friday-Saturday, Oct. 13-14, in the Gordon Lozier Athletic Center. BU will open the tournament with an 11:30 a.m. match on Friday against No. 23-ranked Ottawa (Kan.) University.
