SIOUX CITY, Iowa – Fourth-ranked Bellevue University rebounded from their loss on Wednesday with a win over ninth-ranked Lindenwood University in the final match of pool play, 22-25, 25-18, 25-22 and 25-18 of the 2008 NAIA National Tournament in Sioux City, Iowa held at the Tyson Events Center/Gateway Arena. Bellevue goes to 32-5 overall as Lindenwood’s season will come to a close at 35-9.
The win will get the Bruins into Friday’s single-elimination match with a match against tenth-ranked Northwestern College (Iowa) at 11:15 a.m. on court one. Bellevue defeated the Red Raiders earlier this season at the Bruin Classic on September 26 in four matches. The winner will advance to face second-seed and second-ranked Biola University at 6 p.m. Bellevue played Biola in their second match of the season in August dropping the contest in five.
After losing the first set, 22-25, Bellevue was able to rebound by winning the next three, 25-8, 25-22 and 25-18 to defeat the Lions for the second time this season, the first at the Columbia Best Western Classic in four sets.
In the first set, Bellevue had a 7-0 lead, but it slowly dissipated as Lindenwood went on a 15-8 run to tie the match at 15. Bellevue was able to regain a one-point lead (16-15), but that was the last time as the Lions took the lead at 20-17 and the eventual win (25-22).
The Bruins went out to a 5-2 early lead in the second set and extended that margin to four at 13-10 and 16-12 five points later. The Lions were able to pull to within two (18-16) but Bellevue was able to outlast their opponent out-scoring them 7-2 for the win.
A back-and-forth set three match would follow as Lindenwood jumped out to a 5-2 lead. The Bruins, not ready to fall behind a set, marched back and tied the set at 8 and took the lead at 9-8 following a Jaclyn Thorson kill. These two teams would skirmish to a sixth tie at 15-15 as the Bruins would then turn on the offense getting back-to-back kills from freshman, Kali Schnacker, and a Lion attacking error to take a 18-15 advantage.
Lindenwood would get as close as a point at 21-20, but the set would belong to Bellevue down the stretch out-scoring the Lions 3-1 to go up two sets to one.
The fourth and deciding set would be all Bellevue as they took a 6-1 lead and never looked back. Lindenwood was able to get to within three (11-8), but that would be the closest they would get as the Bruins had a pair of 3-0 runs in the second half of the set to seal the victory (25-18).
In three appearances at the NAIA National Tournament, Bellevue is now 5-6 all-time at the tournament and their second-best win total since 2000 when they qualified for the ‘Elite-Eight’ going 3-2. The Bruins avenged their national tournament loss to Lindenwood last year (1-3) also have won the last two meetings against the Lions.
