Omaha World-Herald news article
OMAHA, Neb. – Junior outside hitter Eve Fountain was named the honorary captain of the 2024 Omaha World-Herald all-Midlands Volleyball team, highlighting five Bruin selections on the annual squad. The OWH all-Midlands team honors the top players from NAIA and NCAA Division III programs within the state of Nebraska. Junior rightside hitter Kealy Kiviniemi was also named to the first team. Honorable mention selections from BU included senior middle blocker Haley Fleischman, junior middle blocker Savanna Berger, and sophomore setter Mila Aiwohi.
Fountain, who earned all-tournament team honors at the NAIA National Championships, garnered first-team all-NSAA accolades for the fourth time in her Bruin career. She was named a first-team NAIA and AVCA All-American for the second time while also being named to the AVCA all-North Central Region first team for the third time. Fountain led the team with 3.37 kills per set and 16 double-doubles. She was second on the squad with 437 kills and 449 digs (3.45 dpg). Fountain, who earned NSAA Attacker of the Week honors twice during the season, pounded a season-high 23 kills on .413 hitting, along with 16 digs in the NAIA National Championship match against Indiana Wesleyan.
Kiviniemi earned first-team NAIA and AVCA All-American honors. She was named the NSAA Player of the Year and NSAA Offensive Player of the Year while also earning AVCA North Central Region Player of the Year honors. She led the team and the NSAA with 450 kills and was second with 3.36 kills per set and a .353 hitting percentage. Kiviniemi, who earned first-team all-NSAA honors for the second straight season, was third on the team with 71 total blocks. She was named the NSAA Attacker of the Week four times and registered double-digit kills in 29 matches, including 17 straight matches.
Fleischman earned honorable mention AVCA All-American honors while also being named to the first-team all-NSAA and all-North Central Region teams for the third time in her Bruin career. She ranked third on the team with a .341 hitting percentage and averaged a team third-best 0.77 blocks per set, finishing the season with 171 kills, 79 blocks, 40 digs, and 21 assists. Fleischman delivered a season-high 12 kills on 17 errorless swings in the Bruins' four-set victory over Carroll on Oct. 12 and committed just two attacking errors in nine matches during the month of October.
Berger garnered honorable mention AVCA All-American accolades in her first season as a Bruin. She earned first-team all-NSAA and AVCA all-North Central Region honors after an impressive season in the middle for Bellevue, which culminated in being named to the all-tournament team at the NAIA National Tournament. She appeared in 34 matches, starting 31, and led the team with 104 total blocks, averaging 0.95 blocks per set. Berger also led the Bruins with a .356 hitting percentage and was fourth with 212 kills. She recorded three consecutive matches with double-figure kill totals, highlighted by a season-high 16 kills on .565 hitting in the Bruins' 3-1 win over Ottawa (Kan.) on Oct. 11. Berger also hit .400 or better in 18 matches throughout the season.
Aiwohi earned second-team all-NSAA honors and was named the NSAA Setter of the Week four times. She led the Bruins with 894 assists and 40 service aces. Aiwohi also ranked third on the team with 245 digs and recorded 10 double-doubles, the second-highest total on the squad. In the final NSAA statistics, Aiwohi ranked second in service aces per set (0.31) and third in assists per set (6.82). She tallied 30 or more assists in eight matches, including a career-high 36 assists in Bellevue's five-set victory over Dakota State on Sept. 20. Aiwohi also posted a season-high 16 digs along with 22 assists in a four-set win over Texas Wesleyan during the NAIA Opening Round.
The Bruins wrapped up the 2024 season as the NAIA National Runner-Up with an overall record of 32-5. Bellevue captured the North Star Athletic Association regular season and post-season tournament titles while advancing to the NAIA National Tournament for the 17th time in school history. Their second-place finish at Nationals was the best showing in school history. Bellevue finished the season ranked No. 2 in the final NAIA top 25 poll. Head coach Trish Siedlik was named both the NAIA and AVCA National Coach of the Year.
2024 NAIA/NCAA D-III All-Midlands Volleyball Team (Omaha World-Herald)
OH: * Eve Fountain, Bellevue
OH: Ashley Keck, Concordia
OH: Kealy Kiviniemi, Bellevue
OH: Brooklyn Synder, Midland
MB: Gabi Nordaker, Concordia
MB: Abbey Ringler, Midland
S: Elecea Saathoff, Nebraska Wesleyan
L: Miriam Miller, Hastings
Honorable mention: Bellevue: Mila Aiwohi, Savanna Berger, Haley Fleischman. College of Saint Mary: Azaria Green, Liz Henrichson, Elen Pruett, Grace Werner. Concordia: Becca Gebhardt, Addie Kirkegaard, Savannah Shelburne, Ella Waters. Doane: Camdyn Carpenter, Grace Zeier. Hastings: Mikah O'Neill, Alexis Pontine, Majesta Valasek. Midland: Jacki Apel, Cameran Jansky, Kailyn Scott, Delanie Vallinch. Nebraska Wesleyan: Kobie Patten, Molly Ramirez, Addie Thomas. Peru State: Kennedy Miller, Eden Moore, Raevyn Russell. York: Cassie Richardson, Kenna Tarnowski, Kaylee Weigel.
* - Denotes Honorary Captain
