Bellevue Bruins Volleyball Upset Top-Ranked Jamestown in Sweep

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Aug 19, 2023 – San Antonio, TX – The 17th-ranked Bellevue University volleyball team capped a perfect 4-0 weekend with a 3-0 (27-25, 25-23, 25-23) sweep over No. 1-ranked and defending national champion University of Jamestown Saturday morning in the Alamo Volleyesta Tournament at Mabee Gymnasium on the Our Lady of the Lake University campus.  

Bellevue, who improved to 4-0 on the season, was led Eve Fountain, who finished with 15 kills on .343 hitting, along with nine digs. Allie Kerns added seven kills and four digs. Kealy Kiviniemi finished with six kills and a block. 

Jada Nunn (20) and Mila Aiwohi (14) combined for 34 assists as BU outhit the Jimmies, .192 to .179. 

Defensively, Chloe Cloud led all players with six blocks, while Taylan Keefer finished with a team-high 17 digs. 

Jamestown was paced by Aleah Zieske’s 10 kills on .296 hitting. Darienne Johnson collected nine kills, and Grace Hegerle chipped in with eight putaways. Ellie Holen led all players with 20 digs.  

Set 1: Bellevue 27, Jamestown 25

Consecutive kills by Hegerle started a 4-0 UJ run as the Jimmies took a 13-8 lead in the opener. 

The Bruins countered with a 4-0 run, aided by a pair of Jimmie errors, to pull to within two points at 16-14. 

After BU used a 6-1 run to grab a 22-20 advantage, UJ got kills from Hegerle and Logan Sherman to knot the contest at 22-all. 

The two teams traded points until a mishandled Jimmie set and a block by Cloud on Charlotte Lempka gave the Bruins the 27-25 victory.

Sidney Sledge led BU in the opener with four kills on 11 swings. Zieske paced the Jimmies with seven kills on .400 hitting. 

Set 2: Bellevue 25, Jamestown 23

A kill by Haley Fleischman highlighted a 4-1 BU run as the Bruins grabbed a 12-7 edge in the second frame. 

UJ climbed to within a point at 18-17 following a block by Zieske on Kiviniemi, forcing a Bruin timeout. 

After the Jimmies once again pulled to within one point at 22-21 on a kill by Hegerle, a block by Cloud and a kill by Kerns gave the Bruins a 24-21 lead. UJ fought off two set points before a service error by Megan Moser gave Bellevue the second set, 25-23.  

Fountain led BU in the second stanza with six kills and four digs. 

Set 3: Bellevue 25, Jamestown 23

The Jimmies took an early five-point lead at 10-5 following a 5-0 run, forcing a Bruin timeout. BU managed just two kills in the first 15 points of the third set. 

After UJ extended the margin to seven points following a kill by Johnson, the Bruins went on a 3-0 run with two kills by Kiviniemi and another by Fountain to pull to within four points at 14-10. 

Trailing 22-16, the Bruins battled back to tie the contest at 22-all, capped by kills from Kerns and Fleischman. 

Another kill from Fleischman and a hitting error by Sherman gave the Bruins match point at 24-23. The Bruins capitalized on their first opportunity, taking the match on a block by Fleischman on Hegerle. 

Full Box Score: https://www.bubruins.com/sports/wvball/2023-24/boxscores/20230819_mkge.xml

Up Next:

The Bruins will travel to Joliet, Ill. next Friday-Saturday, Aug. 25-26, for three matches at the Big Dogs Classic, hosted by the University of St. Francis (Ill.).