BU drops a pair of matches at Ottawa Invitational

KWU Box Score
MNU Box Score
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OTTAWA, Kan. -- The 12th-ranked Bellevue University volleyball team dropped a pair of matches on Saturday at the Ottawa University Invitational, falling in the opener to Kansas Wesleyan, 3-1 (25-21, 25-17, 22-25, 25-17) followed by a 3-0 (29-27, 25-17, 25-18) loss to MidAmerica Nazarene University in the nightcap. 

The two losses dropped the Bruins to 13-3 on the season. 

The loss to KWU snapped a seven-match winning streak for the Bruins. 

Kansas Wesleyan 3, Bellevue 1

After dropping the first two sets and trailing 22-20 in the third, the Bruins reeled off five straight points, capped by a block from Sidney Sledge and Haley Fleischman, to secure the 25-22 victory, extending the match to a fourth set.  

KWU built a 13-6 lead in the fourth frame before the Bruins used a 5-0 run to pull back to within two points at 13-11. The Coyotes responded with seven consecutive points to surge ahead 20-11 before taking the match with the 25-17 victory. 

Kealy Kiviniemi led the Bruins with 14 kills on .216 hitting while adding three digs and a pair of blocks. Allie Kerns finished with 12 kills, eight digs, and three blocks. 

Eve Fountain was the third Bruin in double figures, producing 10 kills while adding seven digs and three blocks. 

Fleischman led all players with six blocks, and Taylan Keefer collected a team-high 23 digs in the loss.  

Mila Aiwohi (23), Sledge (10), and Jada Nunn (9) combined for 42 assists as BU hit .164 in the match. 

Rylee Serpan led the Coyotes with 27 kills on .429 hitting while adding 10 digs. Kylee Harris finished with 13 kills and four digs, and Kelcey Hund led all players with a match-high 33 digs. 

KWU hit .285 in the match and held a 75-58 advantage in digs.  

MidAmerica Nazarene 3, Bellevue 0

Bellevue was out-hit .311 to .120 as the Bruins were swept for the first time this season in the 3-0 loss to MNU. 

A 6-1 BU run gave the Bruins an early 10-5 advantage in the opening set. BU maintained some separation until a 6-2 MNU run tied the contest at 18-all. The two teams traded points until a 3-0 Pioneer spurt forced a Bruin timeout at 22-20. MNU got kills from Cassidy Crist and Charley Turner to take a 24-20 lead. BU saved four set points, scoring five straight to take a 25-24 lead. MNU used two consecutive blocks to take the opener, 29-27. 

Kerns blasted five kills to lead BU in the first stanza. Crist (6) and Turner (5) combined for 11 kills in the opening set to pace the MNU offense. 

The Pioneers used an 11-3 run midway through the second set to pull away en route to the 25-17 victory. 

Two Bruin attacking errors during a 3-0 MNU run helped the Pioneers build a 15-11 lead in the third set. The Pioneers never let BU get closer than three points the remainder of the set as MNU earned the sweep with the 25-18 win. 

Kiviniemi and Kerns each had eight kills to lead the Bruin offense in the loss. Aiwho (15) and Nunn (11) combined for 26 assists and Keefer led the Bruin defense with 11 digs. 

Mikayla Johnson tallied 14 kills on .478 hitting to lead the Pioneer attack. Crist collected 13 kills on .357 hitting while adding seven digs. Ashlyn Halford led all players with a match-high 15 digs.  

Up Next:

The Bruins return home on Wednesday, Sept. 20, when they entertain No. 6-ranked Viterbo University in a North Star Athletic Association contest at 6 p.m. in the Gordon Lozier Athletic Center.