Bellevue Volleyball finishes No. 7 in final NAIA coaches poll
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Bellevue University volleyball team finished the 2025 season ranked No. 7 in the final NAIA Women's Volleyball Coaches' Top 25 Poll, capping a year that included a 29-5 record, a national quarterfinal appearance, and three All-Americans.
The Bruins wrapped up the 2025 season with a 29-5 overall record and a 20-2 mark in Frontier Conference play, finishing second in the conference regular-season standings and as runner-up at the Frontier Conference Tournament. Bellevue advanced to the NAIA National Championship quarterfinals for the fourth time in program history in what marked the Bruins' 18th appearance at the national tournament.
Bellevue owned wins over six teams that finished in the top 20 of the final poll. Early in the season, the Bruins swept defending national champion Indiana Wesleyan, which went on to capture its third-consecutive NAIA title. Other key victories included a five-set home win over No. 6 Providence and a 3-0 sweep of No. 10 Mount Vernon Nazarene. At the NAIA National Championship in Sioux City, Iowa, BU added a reverse sweep of No. 13 Oklahoma Wesleyan in pool play and a 3-0 sweep over No. 15 Bushnell.
The Bruins were led by a senior trio of standouts in outside hitter Eve Fountain, right-side hitter Kealy Kiviniemi, and middle blocker Savanna Berger, each of whom earned All-America honors from both the NAIA and the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA). Fountain, a three-time NAIA first-team All-American and four-time NAIA All-American overall, was a first-team selection again in 2025 after leading BU with 372 kills, 44 service aces, and 447.0 points while ranking second on the team with 370 digs. She concluded her career as Bellevue's all-time leader in kills with 1,917 and ranks sixth in program history in both digs (1,918) and service aces (161).
Kiviniemi, a second-team All-American in 2025 after earning first-team honors in 2024 and third-team recognition in 2023, finished the year with 360 kills and a .338 attack percentage that led both Bellevue and the Frontier Conference. She added 77 total blocks and closed her collegiate career with 1,190 kills, ranking 16th on the Bruins' all-time list. Berger, a third-team All-American, contributed 233 kills, a .320 hitting percentage, and a team-best 125 total blocks.
All four of Bellevue's CSC Academic All-District selections — Fountain, Kiviniemi, Berger, and junior setter Mila Aiwohi — played key roles in the Bruins' success, underscoring the program's combination of academic achievement and on-court performance.
With a top-10 national ranking, dual NAIA and AVCA All-America recognition for three seniors, and another run to the national quarterfinals, the Bruins solidified their standing among the NAIA's premier volleyball programs as they turn the page to the 2026 campaign.