Bruins sweep weekly conference volleyball awards

HELENA, Mont. — Following a statement weekend that included a sweep of Montana State University-Northern and a five-set upset of top-ranked University of Providence, the Bellevue University volleyball team has swept this week's Frontier Conference Volleyball Player of the Week honors.

Senior Kealy Kiviniemi was named Frontier Conference Attacker of the Week, junior Mila Aiwohi earned Setter of the Week, and sophomore Eve Fountain collected Defender of the Week recognition as the seventh-ranked Bruins made a major statement in the national picture.

Frontier Conference Attacker of the Week – Kealy Kiviniemi

Right-side hitter Kealy Kiviniemi powered No. 7 Bellevue to a perfect weekend, highlighted by a five-set victory over No. 1-ranked Providence (Mont.), snapping the Argos' 25-match winning streak. She tallied 17 kills on .300 hitting in the upset and added 10 kills while hitting .350 in a 3-0 sweep of (RV) Montana State-Northern.

For the week, Kiviniemi averaged 3.38 kills per set, hit .317, and contributed five total blocks. She currently leads the Frontier Conference with a .345 hitting percentage and ranks fifth with 3.07 kills per set.

This marks Kiviniemi's first weekly honor of the season and the seventh weekly conference award of her career.

Frontier Conference Setter of the Week – Mila Aiwohi

Setter Mila Aiwohi guided the Bruin offense efficiently throughout the weekend, averaging 7.00 assists per set across the two matches. She recorded a double-double with 31 assists and 11 digs in the five-set upset over No. 1 Providence and added 25 assists in Bellevue's sweep of MSU-Northern.

Aiwohi ranks fourth in the Frontier Conference with 5.91 assists per set. This is her first weekly honor of the season and the sixth weekly conference award of her career.

Frontier Conference Defender of the Week – Eve Fountain

Outside hitter Eve Fountain continued her stellar two-way play, recording her team-leading 10th and 11th double-doubles of the season. She totaled 16 kills, a career-high 28 digs (5.60 per set), and five blocks in the upset of No. 1 Providence, and added 11 kills on .458 hitting, along with 10 digs and four blocks, in the sweep of MSU-Northern.

For the week, Fountain averaged 4.75 digs and 1.13 blocks per set (nine total blocks). She also ranks second in the conference with 3.19 kills per set and third in service aces per set (0.42).

This marks Fountain's first Defender of the Week recognition this season, adding to her three Attacker of the Week honors earlier in the year.

Up Next

The Bruins hit the road for Valley City, N.D., to face Valley City State University on Friday, Nov. 7, at 7 p.m. in Frontier Conference action.

Note: With the weekend sweep, Bellevue improved to 22-3 overall and 18-2 in Frontier Conference play, while No. 1 Providence (26-2, 19-1 FC) maintains a narrow lead atop the standings. Both programs have clinched the top two positions heading into the final week of conference play.