Kerns, Kiviniemi lead BU to sweep over Blue Hawks

Box Score

BELLEVUE, Neb. -- Senior outside hitter Allie Kerns and sophomore rightside hitter Kealy Kiviniemi posted 12 kills apiece to lead the 15th-ranked Bellevue University volleyball team to a 3-0 (25-14, 25-20, 25-17) sweep over Dickinson State University Thursday night in North Star Athletic Association action at the Gordon Lozier Athletic Center. 

With the sweep, the Bruins improved to 16-4 on the season and 4-1 in the NSAA. DSU dropped to 1-16 overall and 1-4 in league play.  

Kiviniemi hit .409 in the match and added two digs and a block. 

Morgan Wale finished with a career-high eight kills on .538 hitting. 

Mila Aiwohi (27) and Jada Nunn (13) combined for 40 assists while directing the BU offense to a .227 attacking efficiency. 

Eve Fountain (19) and Taylan Keefer (14) combined for 33 digs while BU held the Blue Hawk offense to a .009 hitting clip. 

McKenzie Moser paced Dickinson State with seven kills and seven digs.  

Set 1: Bellevue 25, Dickinson State 14

Keyed by three kills from Kerns, the Bruins raced out to a 6-0 lead in the opener, forcing an early DSU timeout. A kill by Wale and a service ace from Kenzie Polk capped a 4-1 BU run, giving the Bruins a 13-6 advantage. 

A five-point serving run by Mila Aiwohi pushed the Bruin advantage to 19-7 before BU cruised to the 25-14 victory. 

Kerns led BU in the first set with five kills on nine errorless swings. Wale added four kills on .500 hitting. 

Fountain had seven digs as the Bruins held DSU to a .033 attacking clip in the opener, while BU hit a sizzling .433.  

Set 2: Bellevue 25, Dickinson State 20

After the Blue Hawks gained an early 5-2 edge in the second frame, the Bruins went on a 3-0 run to knot the contest at 5-all. The two teams then traded the next 18 points until DSU used a 4-0 run to take an 18-15 lead.

Four kills and a block by Kiviniemi sparked a 10-2 BU spurt as the Bruins closed out the 25-20 victory. 

Set 3: Bellevue 25, Dickinson State 17

The Bruins never trailed in the third, winning six of the first seven points. DSU got as close as three points at 11-8 following a kill by Moser before the Bruins cruised to the 25-17 victory.

Up Next: 

The Bruins will host Valley City State University tomorrow (Oct. 6) in the annual Dig Pink match at 2 p.m. in the Gordon Lozier Athletic Center.