Schnacker paces Bruins in sweep at Peru State

Box Score

PERU, Neb. -- Junior rightside hitter Kali Schnacker recorded 16 kills on .312 hitting to lead the Bellevue University volleyball team to a 3-0 (25-23, 25-21, 25-23) sweep at Peru State College Tuesday night in Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference action at the Al Wheeler Activity Center.

The Bruins improved to 21-7 on the season and 9-1 in the MCAC. Peru dropped to 12-8 overall and 6-3 in league play.

Schnacker added three blocks and a pair of service aces in a match that saw the Bruins trailing in each of the three sets. Junior middle blocker Maureen Wardian added 11 kills on .364 hitting and three blocks. Junior outside hitter Ashley Wurdeman nearly registered a double-double with nine kills and a career-high 17 digs.

Sophomore setter Jordan Broady directed the BU offense to a .269 attack percentage while notching her team-leading ninth double-double of the season with 41 assists and 10 digs.

Trailing 17-12 in the opener, the Bruins tied it at 18-18, going on a 6-1 run fueled by kills from Wardian, Annie Benson, and Wurdeman and a service ace from Schnacker. The Bobcats took a three-point lead at 22-19 following attack errors from Schnacker and Wurdeman. However, three kills from Schnacker highlighted a 6-1 BU run to close out the set, giving the Bruins the 25-23 win.

Schnacker pounded seven kills to lead all players in the first set.

Peru raced out to an 8-4 lead in the second frame, before the Bruins battled back, scoring nine of the next 11 points, paced by a pair of kills from Schnacker and Wurdeman, giving the Bruins a 13-10 advantage.

The two teams traded points until Bellevue closed the set on a 7-4 run, giving BU a two-set advantage with the 25-21 win. Schnacker, Wardian, and Wurdeman collected four kills apiece to highlight the second-set Bruin attack.

Unlike the first two sets, BU got out to a quick lead in the third set only to see Peru storm back to take the lead late in the game. Bellevue led 16-14 following a kill from Benson, However, three Peru service aces and a kill by Emily Maresh forced a Bellevue timeout as the Bobcats gained the lead, 19-17. Tied at 21-all, Bellevue closed out the match following a Wurdeman service ace and a pair of kills from Schnacker. 

The Bruins will head to Savannah, Ga. this Friday and Saturday (Oct. 15-16) to compete in the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) Invitational Tournament.