Bruins earn first-ever semifinal with 5-set thriller over Concordia

Box Score
Bracket Schedule/Results

SIOUX CITY, Iowa -- The fifth-ranked Bellevue University volleyball team earned the program's first-ever national semifinal appearance with a 3-2 (21-25, 26-24, 14-25, 25-18, 15-12) come-from-behind victory over fourth-ranked Concordia (Neb.) University Saturday afternoon in the NAIA National Championship being played at the Tyson Events Center. 

The Bruins improved to 31-4 on the season with the victory. Concordia ended its season at 27-4. 

Savanna Berger led four Bruins in double figures, tying a career-high with 16 kills on .400 hitting while adding four digs and two blocks. Eve Fountain recorded her team-leading 14th double-double of the season, finishing with 13 kills and 23 digs, along with two blocks. 

Kealy Kiviniemi and Sidney Sledge notched 12 kills apiece, and Haley Fleischman finished with nine kills on .500 hitting. 

Victoria Runyan (34) and Mila Aiwohi (31) combined for 65 assists while directing the BU offense to a .293 hitting efficiency. 

Taylan Keefer led all players with 25 digs as BU held the Bulldogs to .273 hitting. 

Ashley Keck paced the Bulldogs with 18 kills and 24 digs. Gabi Nordaker hit .538 with 14 kills on 26 errorless swings. Kya Scott finished with 13 kills and five blocks and Ella Waters was the fourth Bulldog in double figures, finishing with 11 kills.  

Set 1: Concordia 25, Bellevue 21

Neither team could establish control in the early going, with the largest lead for either squad being two points until the Bulldogs used a 4-0 run sparked by kills from Addie Kirkegaard and Ava Greene to take an 18-14 lead. A kill by Kya Scott and a service ace by Kate Griess upped the lead to five points at 20-15, forcing BU to use its second timeout of the set. 

Kiviniemi produced three kills out of the timeout, and Keefer's service ace drew the Bruins to within two points at 21-19. After kills by Kiviniemi and Berger drew the Bruins to within one point, CU scored three straight, including the game-winning kill by Ella Waters, to take the opener, 25-21. 

Kiviniemi led BU in the opener with four kills on six attacks. Fleischman registered three kills on three errorless swings. Nordaker and Scott produced four kills each for the Bulldog offense.  

Set 2: Bellevue 26, Concordia 24

The Bruins used a 5-0 spurt, highlighted by kills from Berger, Fountain, and Kenzie Polk and a service ace by Lia Aiwohi, to gain a 10-6 advantage in the second frame. The Bulldogs responded with four straight, capped by a kill from Ava Greene, to tie the set at 10-all. After a block by Fountain and Fleischman on Addie Kirkegaard gave BU a 20-18 edge, CU went on a 5-1 run to gain a 23-21 lead. BU tied the set following a CU service error and a kill by Kiviniemi to make it 23-all. After trading sideouts, kills by Berger and Kiviniemi gave the Bruins the second set, 26-24. 

Kiviniemi led BU in the second with five kills. Fountain added three kills and a pair of blocks.  

Set 3: Concordia 25, Bellevue 14

Back-to-back kills by Ashley Keck and Ella Waters, along with four BU attacking errors, propelled CU to an early 10-4 advantage in the third. A pair of kills by Sidney Sledge fueled a 7-3 BU run to pull the Bruins back to within two at 13-11. The Bulldogs countered with a 7-1 run sparked by a pair of kills from Nordaker to surge ahead 20-12. A pair of kills by keck and another by Greene gave CU the third, 25-14. 

Concordia outhit the Bruins, .486 to .237, in the third as CU did not commit an attacking error.  

Set 4: Bellevue 25, Concordia 18

Four straight Bruin kills gave BU an early 4-1 edge in the fourth, and a kill by Berger gave BU its largest lead of the day at 13-8. CU battled back with a 5-1 run capped by a Keck kill to bring the Bulldogs to within a point at 14-13. Back-to-back kills by Sledge fueled a 5-0 run to close the set, giving BU the 25-18 victory, forcing the deciding set. 

BU outhit the Bulldogs, .405 to .136 in the fourth frame. 

Set 5: Bellevue 15, Concordia 12

Kills by Sledge and Fleischman gave the Bruins an 8-5 edge at the side change. Kills by Fountain and Mila Aiwohi extended the advantage to five points at 10-5. After kills by Berger and Fleischman gave the Bruins a six-point margin, the Bulldogs went on a 4-0 run to close the gap to three at 13-11. A kill by Kiviniemi gave BU its first match point at 14-11. The Bulldogs got a block to save the first match point before a Berger kill sealed the Bruin victory, 15-12.

Thirteen of the Bruins' 15 points in the fifth frame came on kills. as BU hit .345 in the decider.  

Up Next:

The Bruins will battle eight-seeded Corban University in the national semifinals on Monday night, beginning at 5 p.m. in the Tyson Events Center.