BU downs Carroll, upsets No. 6 Eastern Oregon

Carroll Box Score
Eastern Oregon Box Score

Tournament Website

BUTTE, Mont. -- The 17th-ranked Bellevue University volleyball team won a pair of matches on Friday at the Big Sky Challenge including a 3-1 (25-22, 22-25, 25-18, 25-15) win over Carroll College and a 3-0 (25-15, 25-17, 25-23) sweep over No. 6 Eastern Oregon. 

The Bruins improved to 3-0 on the season with the two victories. 

Carroll is now 1-1 on the season. Eastern Oregon, who swept No. 8 Grand View earlier in the day, is now 1-1 overall.

The Bruins will return to action next Saturday, Aug. 28, when they travel to Seward, Neb. for a pair of matches against Baker University and No. 7 Concordia (Neb.). 

Bellevue 3, Carroll 1

Outside hitters Eve Fountain (15) and Sierra Athen (14) combined for 29 kills to lead BU to the victory over Carroll.  Both players also recorded double-doubles as Fountain notched a match-high 20 digs and Athen produced 14 digs along with three assists and a pair of service aces. 

Junior setter Olivia Galas directed the Bruin offense to a .209 hitting percentage while dishing out 46 assists and adding seven digs, six kills, and two blocks. 

Freshman middle Haley Fleischman collected eight kills and a match-high four blocks. 

With her sixth dig, Athen became the eighth player in school history to record 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs in a career. In addition, Galas eclipsed the 4,000-assist plateau moving her into fourth place on the school records chart. Galas now has 4.045 career assists.

After CC hit over .500 in the opening two frames, the BU defense slowed down the Saints who hit -.059 in each of the last two sets.  

Bellevue held a 60-47 advantage in digs in the victory.

Taelyr Krantz led the Saints with 14 kills on .300 hitting while adding six blocks.  

Bellevue 3, No. 6 Eastern Oregon 0

Fountain registered her second double-double of the day with 13 kills and 12 digs and Fleischman finished with nine kills on 12 errorless swings with three blocks as BU swept EOU in the nightcap. 

Taylan Keefer anchored the BU defense with a match-high 17 digs along with a pair of service aces. 

Galas dished out 31 assists to go along with five kills, three digs, and two service aces. 

Bellevue outhit the Mountaineers, .200 to .101, while holding a 63-55 advantage in digs and a 9 to 5 edge in total blocks. 

Sade Williams and Cambree Scott paced EOU with eight kills apiece. 

Setter Alexis McMurtrey posted a double-double with 26 assists and a team-high 14 digs.