Bruins sweep Columbia to punch ticket to Sioux City

Box Score
NAIA Opening Round Results

BELLEVUE, Neb. -- Ranked No. 6 nationally and seeded seventh in the NAIA National Championship, Bellevue University swept Columbia College 25-9, 25-18, 25-19 on Saturday afternoon inside the Bellevue University Fieldhouse to secure its place at the NAIA Final Site in Sioux City.

Bellevue (25-6) earned its 15th trip in program history to the Final Site behind a balanced offensive effort. Senior rightside hitter Kealy Kiviniemi led the way with 12 kills on .571 hitting, while senior outside hitter Eve Fountain added eight kills and 12 digs — including four kills in the Bruins' final five points of the match. Freshman outside Kamryn Scheib provided five kills off the bench, and middle blocker Savanna Berger contributed eight kills on .500 hitting and a team-high four blocks. Bellevue hit .261 as a team, totaled 10 service aces, and out-blocked Columbia 8–3.

Columbia (23-15) was paced by Viola Giangreco's seven kills (.200) and Isabella Kincaid's six kills and nine digs. Setter Hannah Vogt finished with 13 assists and five digs, but the Cougars were limited to .039 hitting and did not record a block until the second set.

How It Happened

Set 1 — Bellevue 25, Columbia 9
Bellevue took control immediately with an 11–2 run powered by two Fountain aces, a pair of Kollbaum kills, and early scoring in transition. Cloud, Berger, and Kiviniemi each delivered timely side-outs as BU built a 20–8 advantage. Scheib entered late in the frame and scored three points in a four-rally span, and Kiviniemi closed the set at 25–9 with her third kill.

Set 2 — Bellevue 25, Columbia 18
After Columbia opened with consecutive Avila kills for a 2–0 start, Bellevue settled in with a 6–1 stretch that included three kills from Kiviniemi and two from Berger. The Cougars closed within 11–10 before BU responded with four straight points — highlighted by back-to-back blocks from McIntyre/Cloud and Fountain/Cloud — to go up 15–10. Berger recorded her fourth kill of the frame to make it 25–18 and give BU a 2–0 match lead.

Set 3 — Bellevue 25, Columbia 19
Mila Aiwohi sparked Bellevue with consecutive aces to open the final set. After a brief Columbia push tied it at 7–7, the Bruins used a 6–1 run featuring kills from Kiviniemi, Berger, and Scheib to take a 13–8 lead. Columbia twice cut the margin to two, but Fountain took over late, scoring four of Bellevue's final five points — all on kills — before closing the match at 25–19 on another termination from the left pin.

Top Performers

Bellevue

Kealy Kiviniemi — 12 kills (.571), 2 blocks

Savanna Berger — 8 kills (.500), 4 blocks

Eve Fountain — 8 kills, 12 digs, 3 aces

Kamryn Scheib — 5 kills, 2 blocks

Mila Aiwohi — 20 assists, 5 digs, 3 aces

Jada Nunn — 16 assists, 4 digs

Columbia

Viola Giangreco — 7 kills (.200), 2 digs

Isabella Kincaid — 6 kills, 9 digs

Nazarena Avila — 6 kills, 2 digs

Hannah Vogt — 13 assists, 5 digs

Inside the Numbers

Bellevue posted a 41–24 advantage in kills, hit .261 for the match, and recorded 10 service aces to Columbia's three. The Bruins also controlled the net with an 8–3 edge in blocks and held the Cougars to .039 hitting overall. BU sided out at 69 percent — including 76 percent in the opening set — while limiting Columbia to 43 percent.

Milestone Watch

Eve Fountain continued her climb up Bellevue's all-time charts:

Now at 1,872 career kills, remaining second in program history behind Sierra Athen (1,886; 2018–22).

Her 1,896 career digs keep her in sixth place on BU's all-time list.

Mila Aiwohi increased her career total to 2,291 assists, remaining ninth in program history.

Kealy Kiviniemi moved to 1,167 career kills, solidifying 16th place on BU's all-time list.

Up Next

Pool play assignments and schedules for the NAIA Volleyball National Championship Final Site will be announced on Sunday, Nov. 23, at 1 p.m. Competition at the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa, begins with three days of pool play from Dec. 3–5. The winner of each three-team pool will advance to the single-elimination bracket, which opens with the quarterfinals on December 6, followed by the semifinals on December 8 and the national championship match on December 9.

The appearance marks Bellevue's 15th trip to the Final Site in program history.