No. 2 BU sweeps No. 1 IWU, Completes dominant day with pair of wins

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OMAHA, Neb. --

No. 2-ranked Bellevue University showcased its national title ambitions on Friday by sweeping a pair of matches, punctuated by a commanding 3-0 (25-19, 25-18, 25-20) win over top-ranked Indiana Wesleyan University in a rematch of last year's NAIA national championship match. The Bruins avenged that five-set loss in emphatic fashion, improving to 4-1 on the season.

Earlier in the day, Bellevue opened play at the College of Saint Mary Labor Day Classic with a 3-0 (25-17, 25-22, 25-20) sweep of (RV) Dakota Wesleyan University, setting the tone for a strong start to the weekend.

Bellevue University 3, Indiana Wesleyan 0

Bellevue outperformed the defending national champions across the board, outhitting Indiana Wesleyan .267 to .099 while committing 10 fewer attack errors. The Bruins held a 56-44 edge in digs and out-blocked the Wildcats 9.0-5.5.

Eve Fountain led all players with 12 kills on .455 hitting and matched libero Audrey Sandfort with 17 digs. Kealy Kiviniemi added 10 kills, and Savanna Berger contributed eight kills with a match-high six blocks. Victoria Runyan and Mila Aiwohi tallied 20 assists apiece to pace the offense.

Set 1 – Bellevue 25, Indiana Wesleyan 19

A 6-1 run gave the Bruins an early 8-3 advantage, fueled by kills from Bentlee Kollbaum and Fountain. Bellevue maintained a 3-to-5 point cushion throughout, with Kiviniemi and Berger each adding key swings. A kill by Fountain sealed the opening frame.

Set 2 – Bellevue 25, Indiana Wesleyan 18

Indiana Wesleyan held a 16-15 edge before Bellevue closed with a 10-2 run. The stretch included kills from Fountain, Berger, and Morgan Wale, a service ace by Runyan, and multiple IWU attack errors. The Bruins capitalized on four miscues during the final push to take a 2-0 lead.

Set 3 – Bellevue 25, Indiana Wesleyan 20

The teams traded points through 14-14 before Bellevue broke through with a 5-1 run featuring kills by Fountain, Sophia McIntyre, and Kiviniemi. The Wildcats briefly pulled within two, but the Bruins closed on a 3-1 spurt with kills from Berger and Kiviniemi and a final IWU error.

Bellevue University 3, Dakota Wesleyan 0

In the opener, Bellevue totaled 44 kills on .258 hitting, led by 11 apiece from Fountain and Kiviniemi. Kollbaum added eight more, while Aiwohi and Runyan combined for 29 assists. Sandfort posted a match-high 10 digs, and Berger led all players with five blocks.

Dakota Wesleyan was led by Evy Knoblock's 15 kills and Karly VanDerWerff's 10 kills on .429 hitting. Kayleigh Hybertson dished out 34 assists and added 11 digs.

Set 1 – Bellevue 25, Dakota Wesleyan 17

After an early 6-6 tie, Bellevue strung together a 12-5 run behind multiple kills from Kollbaum and Kiviniemi. The Bruins hit .268 with 17 kills and limited DWU to seven kills on .029 efficiency to take the opener.

Set 2 – Bellevue 25, Dakota Wesleyan 22

DWU took a 19-16 lead late in the set before Bellevue surged back with a 9-3 closing run. The Bruins benefited from two service errors and an attack error by the Tigers, while Kiviniemi and Fountain provided timely kills. BU hit .171 in the set while DWU posted 17 kills on .220 hitting.

Set 3 – Bellevue 25, Dakota Wesleyan 20

The third set saw 11 ties, the last at 18-18, before Bellevue ended on a 7-2 run. Kollbaum, Fountain, and Kamryn Scheib delivered kills in the final stretch, and the Bruins hit .318 with 16 kills while holding DWU to .214 to complete the sweep.

Up Next: 

Bellevue will open up Frontier Conference play on Friday, Sept. 5, when it travels to Bismarck, N.D., for a 6 p.m. match at Bismarck State College.