Bellevue sweeps Bushnell in NAIA pool play opener

Box Score
Pool Play Schedule/Results 

SIOUX CITY, Iowa — No. 7 Bellevue University opened NAIA National Championship Final Site pool play with a 25-16, 25-14, 25-20 sweep of No. 18 Bushnell (Ore.) University on Wednesday at the Tyson Events Center. The Bruins improved to 28-4 overall, while the Beacons dropped to 21-13.

Bellevue's offense was sharp all night, finishing with 42 kills against just six attack errors and hitting .396 as a team. Eve Fountain led the way with 11 kills on .333 hitting to go with five digs and one service ace. Savanna Berger added nine kills on a .643 attack percentage and three total blocks, Kealy Kiviniemi contributed eight kills, two digs and three blocks, and Bentlee Kollbaum chipped in six kills and three digs. Chloe Cloud totaled four kills on .500 hitting and two blocks. Setters Mila Aiwohi, Jada Nunn and Victoria Runyan combined for 31 assists, with Aiwohi handing out 16, Runyan eight and Nunn seven.

Bushnell was led by Amyah Semau, who recorded 11 kills on .304 hitting, two digs and one ace. Hailey Heider added 10 kills and five digs, and Leah Agost finished with seven kills and three digs. Aliyah Malone posted four kills and two block assists, while Kailey Shirley collected a team-high 11 digs. The Beacons closed with 35 kills, 22 attack errors and a .126 hitting percentage.

How It Happened

Set 1 — Bellevue 25, Bushnell 16

Bushnell built early momentum, using kills from Heider, Soleil Sands and Semau to take a 7-3 lead. Bellevue answered with a 7-1 run to move in front 10-8, highlighted by back-to-back kills from Kiviniemi, a kill apiece from Cloud and Kollbaum and a Fountain service ace.

After the Beacons pulled even at 10-10, the Bruins pulled away for good. From that tie, Bellevue closed the frame on a 15-6 stretch as Kollbaum registered two more kills, Berger put down three kills and the Bruins forced multiple Bushnell attack errors. Cloud and Kiviniemi teamed for a block to reach set point at 24-16, and Kiviniemi's fourth kill of the set sealed the 25-16 victory.

Set 2 — Bellevue 25, Bushnell 14

The Bruins carried their momentum into the second set and never trailed. Berger opened the frame with a kill, and Kamryn Scheib followed with back-to-back service aces as Bellevue raced out to a 3-0 lead. The advantage grew to 7-1 behind consecutive kills from Sophia McIntyre and two more from Fountain.

Bushnell closed within 10-6 on a short run that included an ace by Avery McCallister and a block on Kiviniemi, but Bellevue responded with a 4-0 burst, capitalizing on three straight Bushnell attack errors and a Berger block to extend the margin to 14-6. Leading 19-14 late in the set, the Bruins closed with a 6-0 finishing run. Cloud started the closing sequence with a kill, and the Beacons committed four more attack errors, including a swing by Carly Hanna that was blocked by Berger before another error ended the set at 25-14.

Set 3 — Bellevue 25, Bushnell 20

Bellevue completed the sweep with another efficient offensive performance, hitting .414 in the final set. After trailing 2-1, the Bruins strung together a 6-2 run to take a 7-3 lead, with Kollbaum recording a kill, Fountain registering a block on Sands and Audrey Sandfort delivering a service ace. Bushnell trimmed the deficit to 7-6 before Berger and Fountain combined with an Ali Butler ace to help BU restore a multi-point cushion.

The Bruins led 11-9 when a steady side-out stretch, fueled by kills from Berger and Fountain and a Bushnell attack error, stretched the advantage to 14-9. Bellevue remained in front at 17-13 and then used a key 3-0 spurt, capped by a block from Kiviniemi on Semau, to push the margin to 20-13. The Beacons closed within 22-19 behind a late run from Semau, but Berger's kill, a Kollbaum side-out and Fountain's 11th kill of the night finished the set, 25-20.

Top Performers

Bellevue University

Eve Fountain — 11 kills (.333), 5 digs, 1 ace

Savanna Berger — 9 kills (.643), 3 total blocks

Kealy Kiviniemi — 8 kills (.375), 2 digs, 3 total blocks

Bentlee Kollbaum — 6 kills (.462), 3 digs

Chloe Cloud — 4 kills (.500), 2 total blocks

Sophia McIntyre — 4 kills

Mila Aiwohi — 16 assists, 7 digs

Jada Nunn — 7 assists, 1 ace

Victoria Runyan — 8 assists

Bushnell (Ore.) University

Amyah Semau — 11 kills (.304), 2 digs, 1 ace

Hailey Heider — 10 kills, 5 digs, 2 block assists

Leah Agost — 7 kills (.353), 3 digs, 2 assists

Aliyah Malone — 4 kills (.375), 2 block assists

Soleil Sands — 3 kills, 1 block assist

Avery McCallister — 2 aces, 5 assists

Kailey Shirley — 11 digs

Inside The Numbers

Bellevue University controlled the match statistically, finishing with a 42-35 edge in kills and committing just six attack errors to Bushnell's 22. The Bruins hit .396 overall and held the Beacons to .126, including a .000 mark for Bushnell in the second set, when Bellevue limited the Beacons to nine kills against nine errors. BU's attack was particularly efficient over the final two frames, posting identical .414 hitting percentages in both the second and third sets.

At the net, the Bruins recorded 7.0 total blocks to Bushnell's 3.0, with Kiviniemi, Berger and Cloud combining for five block assists and two block solos. Bellevue also had a clear edge in sideout efficiency, siding out at 64.7 percent while holding the Beacons to 43.2 percent, and produced six service aces against four service errors to offset Bushnell's four aces.

Milestone Watch

All-American outside hitter Eve Fountain continued her climb up Bellevue University's career charts. Her 11 kills against Bushnell raised her career total to 1,883, keeping her second in program history and moving her to within three kills of tying Sierra Athen's school record of 1,886 and four of breaking it. Fountain also increased her career totals to 1,901 digs and 160 service aces, maintaining sixth place on both lists as she continues to chase Annie Viviano (2,160 digs; 1993–96) and Laura Ohm (173 aces; 1997–00).

Mila Aiwohi now has 2,307 career assists, remaining ninth in school history and drawing closer to Kathy Kent (2,439; 1994–95) for eighth. Kealy Kiviniemi's eight kills brought her career total to 1,175, solidifying 16th place on BU's all-time list as she continues to pursue Alicia Oakeson (1,197; 2004–07) and Kia Jarvis (1,221; 1996–97).

Up Next

The Bruins will complete Pool Play action on Friday (Dec. 5) with a 6:30 p.m. matchup against No. 10 Oklahoma Wesleyan University. The top team from the three-team pool will advance to the single-elimination quarterfinals, beginning on Saturday, Dec. 6.