BELLEVUE, Neb. -- Annie Benson and Sunny Bell combined for 25 kills to lead the Bellevue University volleyball team to a 3-0 (25-11, 25-21, 25-19) upset sweep over No. 24-ranked Taylor University Friday in the Bruin/Premier Classic at the Gordon Lozier Athletic Center.
Bellevue improved to 22-8 on the season with the win. The Trojans fell to 16-9 overall.
Benson recorded her ninth double-double of the season with 13 kills and 12 digs. Bell pounded 12 kills on .500 hitting. Ali Swart paced the Trojans with 10 kills and two blocks.
Jordan Broady directed the BU offense to a .279 hitting percentage, finishing with 30 assists, seven digs, six kills, and three blocks. Meghan Evans registered nine digs, nine assists, and two service aces in the win.
The Bruins fired on all cylinders in the opening set, hitting .485 with 16 kills on 33 error-free swings. Benson and Bell both collected four kills to lead the Bruin offense as BU cruised to the 25-11 win.
Taylor raced out to an 8-3 lead in the second set, before the Bruins went on an 8-3 run of their own to tie the set at 11-all. The two teams traded points until Bellevue closed the set on a 5-1 run highlighted by three kills from Bell and a service ace by Evans. Bell registered six kills on .556 hitting in the 25-21 second-set win.
The third set featured nine ties with the last one coming at 18-18. The Bruins closed out the match on a 7-1 spurt capped by a block from Sydney DeBoer and Broady on Elizabeth Luke.
The Bruins will conclude the tournament on Saturday (Oct. 13) when they take on Saint Xavier University at 1 p.m. and No. 3-ranked Columbia College at 5 p.m.
