BELLEVUE, Neb. – Dickinson State handed No. 8 Bellevue its first dropped set at home this season but came up short in a 3-1 Frontier Conference loss Friday night at the BU Fieldhouse. The Blue Hawks battled back from a late four-point deficit to win the second set 26-24 but ultimately fell by set scores of 17-25, 26-24, 16-25, 21-25.
The loss drops Dickinson State to 9-8 overall and 5-7 in conference play. Bellevue improved to 15-3 overall and 11-2 in the Frontier. The two teams split the regular season series, with DSU winning 3-2 in Dickinson on Sept. 6.
Aubrey Allison led the Blue Hawks with 14 kills, 10 digs, and three service aces, finishing with a team-high 17.5 points. Carmen Pallone added 10 kills and five block assists, while Macie Wheeler was a spark off the bench, hitting .556 with six kills on nine attempts. Rylee Kogolshak guided the offense with 36 assists and added nine digs and three block assists.
After a slow start in the opening frame, Dickinson State found momentum in set two. Bellevue led 22-18 before the Blue Hawks began a 4-0 run to tie it at 22-all. After the Bruins reached set point at 24-22, DSU closed with four straight points, a kill from Allison, two consecutive service aces by the junior, and a set-winning kill by Samantha Oase, to take the set 26-24. It marked the first set the nationally-ranked Bruins have dropped at home this season.
The Bruins responded with a strong third set, forcing six Blue Hawk attack errors while hitting .178 as a team. DSU was limited to eight kills in the frame and never led.
Dickinson State stayed within striking distance in the fourth, closing to within 22-20 late. But Bellevue's net play proved the difference, as the Bruins finished with 15.0 total blocks and hit .182 in the final frame to close out the match.
Defensively, Geraldyne Fernandez posted a match-high 21 digs for the Blue Hawks. Ashtynn Egan added 11 digs, while Abigail Beddes chipped in eight. DSU finished with 77 digs and 18 block assists as a team. Pallone and Oase combined for nine block assists, and Wheeler added two more in limited action.
The Blue Hawks hit .094 for the match with 45 kills and 29 errors on 170 attempts. They served five aces and committed four errors.
Eve Fountain led Bellevue with 14 kills and 19 digs. Savanna Berger added 13 kills and seven blocks. The Bruins hit .192 overall and held a 15.0 to 9.0 advantage in total team blocks.
