BU closes out HIU Summer Slam with sweep over No. 14 MVNU

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FULLERTON, Calif. -- Kealy Kiviniemi hammered 13 kills on .650 hitting to lead a balanced Bellevue attack as the Bruins swept past No. 14 Mount Vernon Nazarene, 25-15, 25-23, 25-22, on Saturday morning at the Hope International Summer Slam.

Savanna Berger added eight kills on .583 efficiency, and Eve Fountain tallied 10 kills to help Bellevue (2-1) close out its trip to California with two wins over top-15 opponents. The Bruins out-hit the Cougars, .267 to .102, and tallied 41 assists on 44 kills while racking up 54 digs defensively.

Audrey Sandfort anchored the BU defense with a match-high 14 digs. 

Setters Mila Aiwohi and Victoria Runyan combined for 37 assists and four service aces in the win.  

The Bruins improved to 2-1 on the season with the sweep. MVNU fell to 1-2 overall on the season.  

Set 1: Bellevue 25, Mount Vernon Nazarene 15

Bellevue never trailed in the opening frame, riding early kills from Fountain and Kiviniemi to a quick 6-2 lead. A pair of service aces—one each from Runyan and Kamryn Scheib—highlighted BU's steady scoring, while a 5-1 surge midway through the set stretched the margin to double digits. The Bruins closed out the set with kills from Morgan Wale and Rowyn Scheer, and a Cougar service error sealed the 25-15 win.

Set 2: Bellevue 25, Mount Vernon Nazarene 23
MVNU started fast with a 4-0 lead behind back-to-back aces from Reagan Nuss, but Bellevue quickly flipped momentum. The Bruins responded with a 6-0 run powered by Kiviniemi and Fountain to go in front 6-4. Down 19-17, Bellevue rattled off a 6-0 run—highlighted by a kill and ace from Jamison Badje and a Kiviniemi termination—to surge ahead 23-19. The Cougars answered with four straight points, tying the set at 23-all before Berger's kill out of a timeout put BU back in front. An attack error from MVNU on the next rally sealed the set, giving the Bruins a 2-0 match lead.

Set 3: Bellevue 25, Mount Vernon Nazarene 22
Bellevue used a balanced attack to take control of the third set and complete the sweep, overcoming a quick 2-0 deficit to build an 11-5 lead with strong swings from Berger and Kiviniemi. Aiwohi and Runyan each delivered service aces during that stretch, and the Bruins benefited from timely MVNU errors to maintain momentum.

The Cougars climbed back into contention behind kills from Evanshine and Maloney, cutting the margin to 23-22 late. But BU responded with a composed finish out of a timeout—Berger and Scheer combined for a block to reach match point, and Fountain closed the door with her final kill of the day to secure the 25-22 victory and the three-set sweep. 

Up Next:

The Bruins will return to Nebraska next Friday, Aug. 29, to compete in the CSM Labor Day Classic in Omaha. Bellevue will face (RV) Dakota Wesleyan and top-ranked and two-time defending National Champion Indiana Wesleyan in the tournament. That contest will be a rematch of last year's National Championship match.