BU earns trip to NAIA Title Match with sweep over Corban
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
25 | 28 | 26 | 3 |
|
|
20 | 26 | 24 | 0 |
Team Stats
#8 Corban
| Game Statistics | #5 Bellevue | #8 Corban |
|---|---|---|
| Hitting % | .213 | .184 |
| Blocks | 6.0 | 9.0 |
| Digs | 44 | 55 |
| Aces | 5 | 6 |
Box Score
Bracket Schedule/Results
SIOUX CITY, Iowa -- The fifth-seeded Bellevue University volleyball team continued its historic run at the 2024 NAIA Volleyball National Championship, advancing to the title match after sweeping eighth-seeded Corban University, 3-0 (25-20, 28-26, 26-24) Monday night in the Tyson Events Center.
With the win, the Bruins improved to 32-4 on the season. Corban ends its season with a 27-6 record.
Eve Fountain led the balanced Bruin attack, collecting her team-leading 15th double-double of the season with 10 kills and 12 digs to go along with three blocks. Savanna Berger registered nine kills on .412 hitting, along with two blocks. Sidney Sledge hit .444 with nine kills, coming up clutch in key moments at the end of the second and third sets.
Kealy Kiviniemi and Haley Fleischman finished with eight and six kills, respectively.
Victoria Runyan (19) and Mila Aiwohi (16) combined for 35 assists while directing the BU offense to a .213 hitting efficiency.
Makayla Roginski and Emma Bischoff paced the Warrior offense with 12 kills apiece. Roginski hit .423 while adding four blocks. Nadeiah Howard led all players with 15 digs.
Set 1: Bellevue 25, Corban 20
Sparked by two early kills from Berger, service aces by Mila Aiwohi and Fountain, and seven Warrior attacking errors, the Bruins raced out to a 16-5 lead in the opening frame. Corban climbed back to within three points at 21-18 after going on an 11-3 run, highlighted by service aces from Emma Bischoff and Marissa Uehara. Kills by Fleischman and Berger and an overpass kill by Sledge helped BU close out the set 25-20.
Corban was plagued by nine attacking errors in the opener, hitting just .059 compared to the Bruins' .194 hitting percentage.
Berger led BU in the opening set with four kills on four swings. Kiviniemi slammed three kills on .500 hitting. Bischoff paced CU with four first-set kills.
Set 2: Bellevue 28, Corban 26
The second set featured 19 ties, and neither team led by more than two points the entire frame. Trailing 24-23, a kill by Fleischman saved the first set point by CU. Corban appeared to win the second set at 26-24, but a touch call was reversed after a BU challenge, tying the score at 25-all. Bellevue survived the second, 28-26, following back-to-back Warrior attacking errors.
Fountain heated up in the second, pounding eight kills as BU hit .220. Corban hit .235 in the second as Bischoff (6) and Roginski (5) combined for 11 kills.
Set 3: Bellevue 26, Corban 24
Consecutive kills by Roginski started a 6-1 Warrior run as CU gained a 12-7 advantage in the third.
Sparked by a pair of kills from Sledge, the Bruins battled back, going on a 7-3 run to pull to within one point at 15-14. Three straight BU-hitting errors gave the Warriors an 18-14 advantage. Another kill by Sledge and back-to-back service aces by Mila Aiwohi helped BU tie the set at 18-all. The teams traded the next four sideouts before each team garnered two-point runs to keep the frame knotted at 22 apiece. After an attack error by Bischoff gave BU a match point at 25-24, the Bruins earned their trip to the title match with a kill by Sledge.
Up Next:
The Bruins will face No. 2-seeded and defending national champion Indiana Wesleyan University (35-2) beginning at 7 p.m. Tuesday night in the Tyson Events Center.
