V-Hawks deal Bruins first conference loss

Box Score
NSAA Standings

LA CROSSE, Wis. -- A slow start spelled doom as the No. 12-ranked Bellevue University volleyball team suffered their first North Star Athletic Association loss of the season, falling 3-1 (25-8, 26-28, 25-21, 25-13) to Viterbo University on Friday evening at the R.W. Beggs Sr. Gymnasium.

Viterbo stretches their win streak to six-straight as they improve to 8-6 overall (8-4 NSAA). Bellevue sees its five-match win streak snapped as the Bruins dip to 11-3 overall and fall to 9-1 in North Star play.

The V-Hawks came out hot, racing to a 10-1 lead in the opener, and never looked troubled in posting 25-8 victory for a one set to none lead. Things could not have gone much worse for BU as Viterbo hit .261 to Bellevue's -.267 for the set.

Bellevue seemingly settled in a little in the second set, effectively going point-for-point with Viterbo for the first 40 points. With the score tied at 19, the V-Hawks nudged ahead with three of the next four points to go up 22-20 before BU received three-straight kills from Jacki Apel and Coree Lipovsky to prompt a Viterbo timeout. Consecutive points from the V-Hawks out of the break gave Viterbo set point but Bellevue staved it off to take a 26-25 lead before taking the set by a score of 28-26 on a ball-handling error tying the match at one set apiece.

Building on the momentum of their second set victory, Bellevue opened the third with an emphatic 5-1 run. The Bruins stayed in front until a 4-0 run by the V-Hawks gave the hosts a 12-11 advantage. BU took a timeout to slow the momentum but out of the stoppage, Viterbo pushed their lead to 17-13 and never let the Bruins get closer than two, winning 25-21 to take a 2-1 lead in the match.

Viterbo had the upper hand early in the crucial fourth set. After Bellevue scored the first two points, the V-Hawks ran off an 11-3 run to take a six-point lead before a BU timeout. Viterbo saw their lead swell to as many as 11 points, 18-7, en route to taking a 25-13 victory to seal the match.

Coree Lipovsky led the Bruin attack with 14 kills on .360 hitting. Eve Fountain registered her seventh double-double of the year, finishing with 11 kills and 11 digs. Anna Koehler (19) and Sierra Athen (14) also notched double figure digs and Olivia Galas narrowly missed a double-double, finishing with 36 assists to go along with nine digs.

Kenzie Winkler paced the V-Hawk attack with 14 kills and was joined in double figures by Maya Roberts with 11.

Viterbo hit .218 as a team. Bellevue attacked at an .058 clip and out-dug the V-Hawks, 65-56.

Bellevue ventures to Forest City, Iowa tomorrow for a 1 p.m. match against Waldorf University (4-12/2-10 NSAA) from the Hanson Fieldhouse.