Six Bruins earn All-Frontier Conference honors

HELENA, Mont. — Six Bellevue University volleyball players earned All-Frontier Conference recognition, highlighted by senior outside hitter Eve Fountain, who was named the Frontier Conference Attacker of the Year and earned All-Frontier Conference First Team honors.

Fountain is joined on the All-Frontier First Team by senior right-side hitter Kealy Kiviniemi and senior middle blocker Savanna Berger. Junior setter Mila Aiwohi and junior middle blocker Chloe Cloud earned second-team honors, while freshman outside hitter Bentlee Kollbaum received honorable mention recognition.

The Bruins, ranked No. 6 nationally in the latest NAIA coaches' poll, finished the regular season 20-2 in conference play and 24-3 overall. Bellevue enters the Frontier Conference Tournament on a 14-match winning streak and opens play Thursday at 6 p.m. (CT) against seventh-seeded Valley City State in Carroll, Mont.

Eve Fountain – Senior Outside Hitter, Omaha, Neb.

Fountain leads the Bruins with 290 kills and 36 service aces while adding 298 digs and 40 total blocks. She ranks second in the Frontier Conference in kills per set (3.19), third in service aces per set (0.40), and first in total points per set (3.9).

She has tallied 12 double-doubles, including 22 kills in a five-set win at Dakota State on Oct. 8 and 28 digs in BU's five-set upset of top-ranked Providence on Nov. 1. Fountain has posted double-digit kills in 17 matches and has hit .400 or better in eight, highlighted by .688 (12–1–16) in a four-set win over nationally ranked Southern Oregon on Aug. 22.

Fountain ranks second in program history with 1,835 career kills, trailing only Sierra Athen (1,886, 2018–22). She also ranks sixth in career digs (1,846) after surpassing Rachel Muller (1,829, 2006–09) and Brenda Quinn (1,831, 1997–00).

This marks Fountain's fifth first-team all-conference honor, including four in the North Star Athletic Association before Bellevue joined the Frontier Conference this season.

Kealy Kiviniemi – Senior Right-Side Hitter, Bellevue, Neb.

Kiviniemi has produced 284 kills (3.05 per set) while hitting a conference-best .345. She ranks first in the Frontier Conference in hitting percentage, seventh in kills per set, and seventh in points per set (3.4). She also has contributed 62 total blocks and 60 digs, ranking third on the team in total blocks.

She has reached double-digit kills in 15 matches, including 26 kills on .465 hitting in a five-set match at Dickinson State on Sept. 6 and .600 (12–0–20) in a sweep of Montana Tech on Sept. 19.

Kiviniemi owns 1,114 career kills, ranking 17th all-time at Bellevue. She is one of 20 players in program history to surpass 1,000 career kills.

This is Kiviniemi's third first-team all-conference selection, following two previous honors in the North Star Athletic Association.

Savanna Berger – Senior Middle Blocker, Plattsmouth, Neb.

Berger has registered 188 kills (2.19 per set) on .330 hitting, ranking second in the Frontier Conference and second on the team. She leads Bellevue and ranks third in the conference with 1.21 blocks per set, totaling 104 blocks this season.

She posted 17 kills on .378 hitting with five blocks in BU's five-set win over No. 1 Providence on Nov. 1. Berger has hit .400 or better in nine matches, including .667 (15–1–21) with six blocks in a four-set win at Rocky Mountain on Oct. 17.

This is Berger's second first-team all-conference honor, after earning the distinction in the North Star Athletic Association in 2024.

Mila Aiwohi – Junior Setter, Ewa Beach, Hawaii

Aiwohi leads Bellevue with 560 assists and ranks fourth on the team with 171 digs. She also has 28 service aces and five double-doubles, the second-most on the roster. Aiwohi ranks fourth in the Frontier Conference with 5.89 assists per set, the highest average among setters competing in a 6-2 offensive system.

This marks Aiwohi's second time earning second-team all-conference honors, repeating the recognition she received last season in the North Star Athletic Association.

Chloe Cloud – Junior Middle Blocker, Grand Island, Neb.

Cloud has collected 76 total blocks, ranking second on the team and tying for the team lead with 1.21 blocks per set. She averages 1.21 kills per set while hitting .278. Cloud ranks tied for third in the Frontier Conference in blocks per set (1.21) and is second in conference-only matches (1.25).

Bentlee Kollbaum – Freshman Outside Hitter, Elk Point, S.D.

Kollbaum has appeared in 25 matches and ranks fourth on the team with 156 kills while hitting .155. She recorded 12 kills in Bellevue's five-set win over No. 1 Providence on Nov. 1 and has finished with nine or more kills in nine matches this season.

Frontier Conference Tournament Bracket - (Times in CT)

Bellevue defeated No. 7 Valley City State twice during the regular season — 3-0 on Oct. 2 in Bellevue and 3-1 at Valley City on Nov. 7.

Quarterfinals – Thursday, Nov. 13 
Match #1: No. 8 Montana Western vs. No. 1 Providence (Mont.) – 1 p.m.
Match #2: No. 5 Montana Tech vs. No. 4 Dakota State (S.D.) – 3:30 p.m.
Match #3: No. 7 Valley City State (N.D.) vs. No. 2 Bellevue (Neb.) – 6 p.m. 
Match #4: No. 6 Carroll (Mont.) vs. No. 3 MSU-Northern – 8:30 p.m.

Semifinals – Friday, Nov. 14
Match #5: UMW-UP winner vs. MT-DaSU winner – 6 p.m.
Match #6: CC-MSUN winner vs. VCSU-BU winner – 8:30 p.m.

Championship Match – Saturday, Nov. 15
Match #7: Friday's winners – 8 p.m.

2025 Frontier Conference Women's Volleyball Awards

Player of the Year: Bella Thompson, Providence (Mont.), Sr., Setter
Setter of the Year: Bella Thompson, Providence (Mont.), Sr., Setter
Defensive Player of the Year: JayCee Richter, Valley City State (N.D.), Sr., Libero
Attacker of the Year: Eve Fountain, Bellevue (Neb.), Sr., Outside Hitter
Newcomer of the Year: Peyton Treadwell, Montana Tech, Right Side
Freshman of the Year: Lexi Jones, MSU-Northern, Fr., Middle Hitter
Coach of the Year: Arunas Duda, Providence
Assistant Coach of the Year: Sacha Simmons, Providence

First Team All-Conference
Savanna Berger, Bellevue (Neb.) – MB/RS, Sr., Plattsmouth, Neb.
Eve Fountain, Bellevue (Neb.) – OH, Sr., Omaha, Neb.
Kealy Kiviniemi, Bellevue (Neb.) – RS, Sr., Bellevue, Neb.
McKaila Balcom, Carroll (Mont.) – RS, Jr., Pasco, Wash.
Maddi Langerock, Dakota State (S.D.) – S, Sr., Tracy, Minn.
Rylee Kogolshak, Dickinson State (N.D.) – S, Jr., Hardin, Mont.
Lexi Jones, MSU-Northern – MH, Fr., Heritage Pointe, Alberta, Canada
Macee Selman, MSU-Northern – S/RS, Sr., Ballantine, Mont.
Kinnidi Willmore, Montana Tech – OH, Sr., Claremont, Calif.
Sadie Giles, Providence (Mont.) – MB, Sr., Idaho Falls, Idaho
Bella Green, Providence (Mont.) – OH/RS, Sr., Orem, Utah
Cabry Taylor, Providence (Mont.) – MB, R-Jr., White Sulphur Springs, Mont.
Bella Thompson, Providence (Mont..) – S, Sr., Kapahulu, Oahu
JayCee Richter, Valley City State (N.D.) – L, Sr., Linton, N.D.

Second Team All-Conference
Mila Aiwohi, Bellevue (Neb.) – S, Jr., Ewa Beach, Hawaii
Chloe Cloud, Bellevue (Neb.) – MB, Jr., Grand Island, Neb.
Chelsa Krom, Bismarck State (N.D.) – MB, Jr., Bismarck, N.D.
Sidney Gulick, Carroll (Mont.) – OH, Sr., Kalispell, Mont.
Elizabeth Heuiser, Carroll (Mont.) – MH, R-Sr., Helena, Mont.
Tristyn Maras, Dakota State (S.D.) – RS, So., Windom, Minn.
Sophie Tuttle, Dakota State (S.D.) – OH, So., North Sioux City, S.D.
Macey Wathen, Dakota State (S.D.) – MH, Jr., Rapid City, S.D.
Aubrey Allison, Dickinson State (N.D.) – Pin, Jr., Shepherd, Mont.
Tori Richter, Mayville State (N.D.) – DS, Jr., Casselton, N.D.
Peyton Treadwell, Montana Tech – RS, Jr., Meridian, Idaho
Kennedy Lingenfelter, Montana Western – MB, Fr., Clovis, Calif.
Kyra Saiers, Providence (Mont.) – DS/L, Jr., Valley Springs, Calif.
Macy Fridgen, Valley City State (N.D.) – OH, Sr., Bismarck, N.D.

Honorable Mention
Bentlee Kollbaum, Bellevue (Neb.) – OH, Fr., Elk Point, S.D.
Piper Harris, Bismarck State (N.D.) – DS/L, So., Mandan, N.D.
Lauren Heuiser, Carroll (Mont.) – MH, Jr., Helena, Mont.
Kate VanRooyan, Dakota State (S.D.) – DS/L, Jr., Dakota Dunes, S.D.
Carmen Pallone, Dickinson State (N.D.) – MB/Pin, So., Hardin, Mont.
Desidy Schwanke, Mayville State (N.D.) – OH, Sr., Leeds, N.D.
Baily Egan, MSU-Northern – L/DS, Sr., Colstrip, Mont.
Abby Clark, Montana Tech – MH/RS, Gr.., Fort Benton, Mont.
Megan Hardman, Montana Western – S, Sr., American Fork, Utah
Martyna Fielder, Providence (Mont.) – OH, Jr., Poznan, Poland
Kaitlyn Wood, Rocky Mountain (Mont.) – MB, Jr., Eugene, Ore.
Danielle Hagler, Valley City State (N.D.) – MB, Sr., Cando, N.D.