Defense Comes Up Clutch in Ranked Victory

BELLEUVE, Neb. – The Viterbo University Women's Volleyball team, ranked #6 in the most recent NAIA Top 25 Coaches Poll, defeated #12 Bellevue University (Neb.) in a battle of NSAA favorites on Wednesday night. The V-Hawks improve to 15-2 (2-0 NSAA) on the year, while the Bruins fall to 13-4 (1-1 NSAA).

Jada Mitchell would start the opening set hot, with three straight kills to give Viterbo the 4-1 lead. Maddie Connor found Marissa Kleman and Grace Rohde twice each, but Bellevue rattled off four straight to tie the match at 9-9. Mitchell and Sadie Treptow combined for a block, and Connor followed with a service ace to take the lead back, and McCabe's ace helped VU keep a small as Rohde's late kills and Bruins' errors gave Viterbo the 25-21 win.

Mitchell started the second with another pair of kills, and while BU matched the V-Hawks early, back-to-back aces by Connor gave Viterbo the 13-9 lead. Rohde and Mitchell combined for a block, and Kenzie Winker had consecutive kills to extend the advantage to 16-11. Bellevue rallied late to take a 22-21 lead, but the V-Hawks capitalized on a Bellevue error for Kleman and Winker kills for the win, 25-23.

While Matina McGrath and Connor had kills early in the third, it would be the numerous errors by the Bruins that helped Viterbo hold a solid lead. Connor then combined with Mitchell for a block, and Winker put down a kill to put VU up 16-11. After Treptow's kill brought the score to 18-14, Bellevue scored eight straight for the lead, and while Viterbo tried to rally with a pair of Rohde kills, Bu would win 25-22.

Winker and Mitchell would each record multiple kills early in the fourth to keep the match close, but the Bruins would slowly build a 9-12 lead. The teams traded points until two Rohde kills and Bellevue attacking errors evened the score at 19-19. A Winker-McGrath block gave VU the 22-21 lead, but Bellevue would take the 24-26 win.

Kleman and Mitchell combined for back-to-back blocks in the deciding fifth set to give Viterbo a 4-1 lead, but Bellevue battled back to take a commanding 6-11 lead. Viterbo would not fold, however, as Winker recorded a clutch ace and the V-Hawks defense would bring home the win, as Rohde-McGrath, Rohde-Mitchell, and Kleman-Mitchell blocks earned VU the 15-13 win.

Winker (16 kills, 11 digs) and Cailie Kowal (20 assists, 10 digs) each recorded double-doubles, while Rohde led all players with 20 kill and Mitchell had 13 on .357 hitting. Connor led the team with 33 assists, and McCabe matched it with a match-high 33 digs. Mitchell also recorded seven blocks.

Kealy Kiviniemi had 16 blocks for the Bruins, Jada Nunn dished 35 assists, and Taylan Keefer recorded 25 digs.

The V-Hawks return to action on Thursday, September 21 at Dakota State (SD) at 6 PM.