Bellevue sweeps VCSU to reach Frontier semifinals

Box Score
Tournament Site

HELENA, Mont. -- The No. 2-seeded and No. 6 nationally ranked Bellevue University women's volleyball team extended its winning streak to 15 matches Thursday evening, sweeping No. 7 seed Valley City State University, 25-17, 25-21, 25-19, in the Frontier Conference Tournament quarterfinals at the PE Center.

The win moved the Bruins to 24-3 overall after finishing 20-2 in league play. The Vikings ended their season with a 13-15 overall record.

BU was led by Kealy Kiviniemi with 11 kills on .647 hitting, while Eve Fountain added 10 kills and 10 digs for her 13th double-double of the season. Savanna Berger tallied six kills and four blocks, and Chloe Cloud added five kills and three blocks. Mila Aiwohi, Jada Nunn, and Victoria Runyan combined for 38 assists, and the Bruins outhit VCSU, .260 to .113. Zoie Roghair anchored the Bruin defense with a match-high 13 digs while Ali Butler finished with five digs and three service aces. 

VCSU was paced by Macy Fridgen with nine kills, while Emma Lucas added seven, and JayCee Richter finished with 10 digs.

Set 1 – Bellevue 25, VCSU 17

Bellevue controlled the entire opening frame, with ties at 3–3 and 10–10 the only moments VCSU pulled even. After the second tie, the Bruins separated with back-to-back blocks before Butler delivered consecutive aces to make it 19–12. BU kept the margin steady the rest of the way, and Fountain secured the set with her third kill for the 25–17 win.

Set 2 – Bellevue 25, VCSU 21

VCSU built early momentum and led 7–4 before BU responded. The Bruins answered with a 4–0 push—sparked by kills from Cloud, Kiviniemi, and McIntyre, along with a Butler ace—to move in front 8–7. After ties at 8–8 and 9–9, BU created separation as Viking errors and a Fountain ace stretched the lead to 16–11. VCSU rallied behind two straight kills from Fridgen to pull within 19–16, but BU steadied, earning key points from Berger, Fountain, and Kiviniemi before Kiviniemi closed the set with a kill for the 25–21 victory.

Set 3 – Bellevue 25, VCSU 19

After a 5–5 tie, BU seized control with a 5–1 run fueled by kills from McIntyre, Berger, and Fountain, plus an ace from Sandfort, to build a 10–6 advantage. The Bruins extended the margin to 18–13 after a mid-set burst that included kills from Kollbaum and Kiviniemi and a Berger block on Fridgen. The Vikings trimmed it to 19–16, but BU answered immediately with two straight points and maintained at least a four-point cushion the rest of the way. Fountain pushed the Bruins to set point at 24–18, and Kiviniemi finished the sweep with her final kill for the 25–19 result.

Milestone Watch

All-American outside hitter Eve Fountain continued her ascent up BU's career charts:

1,845 career kills, remaining second all-time behind Sierra Athen (1,886; 2018–22).

1,856 career digs, standing sixth in program history after previously surpassing Rachel Muller (1,829; 2006–09) and Brenda Quinn (1,831; 1997–00). She continues to pursue Annie Viviano (2,160; 1993–96) for fifth.

Additional career notes:

Mila Aiwohi now has 2,234 career assists, remaining ninth in school history and chasing Kathy Kent (2,439; 1994–95) for eighth.

Kealy Kiviniemi increased her career total to 1,125 kills, ranking 17th, just behind Stacey Hines (1,135; 1998–01).

Up Next

The Bruins advance to Friday's semifinal at 8:30 p.m. (CT), where they will face the winner of No. 6 Carroll College and No. 3 Montana State–Northern. That match is being played later tonight.