Bruins open season with sweep over Westmont

Box Score

LA MIRADA, Calif. -- The 16th-ranked Bellevue University volleyball team overcame early deficits in the first two games and held on after building a big lead in the third, scoring a 3-0 (28-26, 26-24, 25-20) sweep over Westmont College to open the 2011 season Friday afternoon at the Biola University/Holiday Inn Summer Slam. 

Bellevue moved to 1-0 on the season, while Westmont dropped to 1-3 overall. 

Outside hitters Annie Benson and Sunny Bell both collected 12 kills to lead the Bruin attack. Bell, a freshman, hit .476 in her first match in a Bruin uniform. Junior setter Jordan Broady collected a double-double with 30 assists and a match-high 12 digs, while leading the BU offense to a .242 attack percentage. 

Sophomore Meghan Evans added nine digs and six assists in the win. Senior Maureen Wardian registered six kills, two digs, and a block.

The Bruins battled back from a 17-13 deficit in the opening set and were led by Wardian's four kills on .429 hitting. Bellevue finally clinched the game on its fourth set point following an attack error by Westmont's Ciara Turner.

Once again, BU battled from behind in the second frame as the Warriors built a 19-14 advantage. The Bruins, however, went on a 6-1 run to knot the score at 20-20. After saving one game point, Bellevue clinched the second game, 26-24, on Benson's team;leading fifth kill of the second set. 

The Bruins stormed out to a commanding 12-3 lead in the third game, only to see the Warriors storm back with a 14-6 run to pull to within one point at 18-17. A pair of kills by Benson, along with kills by Kali Schnacker and Sydney DeBoer helped BU close out the match on a 7-3 spurt, taking the third game, 25-20.

Bell led BU in the final frame with seven kills on .636 hitting, with no errors on 11 attempts. 

The Bruins will battle the host school, fifth-ranked Biola University at 10 p.m. (central time) tonight.