FOREST CITY, Iowa -- With her 10th kill, redshirt sophomore outside hitter Eve Fountain became the 20th player in school history to record 1,000 career kills as the 18th-ranked Bellevue University volleyball team swept Waldorf University 3-0 (25-23, 25-13, 25-17) Thursday night in North Star Athletic Association action at the Hanson Fieldhouse.
With the win, the Bruins improved to 19-7 on the season and 5-3 in the NSAA. Waldorf slipped to 11-11 overall and 0-8 in league play.
Fountain led the Bruins with 11 kills on .308 hitting while adding eight digs, two blocks, and a service ace.
Kealy Kiviniemi finished with 10 kills while hitting .391 along with a pair of blocks. Allie Kerns pounded nine kills and added three digs and three blocks. Haley Fleischman produced eight kills with no errors on 15 swings for a .533 hitting clip.
Taylan Keefer led the BU defense with 21 digs as the Bruins held WU to a .128-hitting efficiency.
Mila Aiwohi (18) and Jada Nunn (16) combined for 34 assists while directing the BU offense to a .299 hitting percentage.
Anna Longhenry paced the Warriors with nine kills and three blocks.
Set 1: Bellevue 25, Waldorf 23
A service ace by Raeanne Kimoto capped a 5-1 BU run, giving the Bruins a 16-10 advantage. WU countered with a 5-1 spurt to narrow the margin to two at 17-15. A BU attacking error and an overpass kill by Kenzie Kidd knotted the score at 23, forcing a Bruin timeout. A kill by Kiviniemi and a service ace by Kenzie Polk gave BU the opener, 25-23.
Kiviniemi led BU in the first set with five kills on .444 hitting. Fleischman produced three kills on seven errorless swings.
Set 2: Bellevue 25, Waldorf 13
The Bruins broke open a tight second set, using an 8-0 run, sparked by a pair of kills from Fleischman, to grab a 13-5 edge.
Waldorf managed just five kills in the second frame and hit -.074 as BU cruised to the 12-point victory.
Set 3: Bellevue 25, Waldorf 17
Two kills by Fountain helped BU open up an 8-2 advantage in the third set. Two kills by Kerns and another by Fleischman gave the Bruins an 11-point cushion at 15-4.
The Warriors got as close as seven points before a WU service error gave the Bruins the 25-17 victory and the sweep.
Up Next:
The Bruins will head to La Crosse, Wis. tomorrow (Oct. 20) to battle fifth-ranked and league-leading Viterbo University (23-3, 7-0 NSAA) beginning at 6 p.m.
