Box Score SWEET BRIAR, Va. – The Bluefield University women's volleyball team opened its 2025 season in dominant fashion, sweeping Sweet Briar in straight sets Tuesday evening.
With the win, the Rams move to 1-0 on the year, while the Vixens fall to 0-2.
Set 1
After conceding the game's first point on a service error, BU responded with a 14-2 run to seize control early. Senior middle hitter Abbey Boehm put down the Rams' first point of the season on an assist from junior setter Katie Voss. Senior outside hitter Liangelys Santana then served eight straight rallies, recording three aces. After a kill from junior middle hitter Morgan Wigg, Boehm rattled off four consecutive aces before Wigg added another kill to make it 13-2. Later in the frame, senior setter Izabella Lechuga delivered back-to-back aces to push the lead to 20-4. Three more aces from freshman defensive specialist Sienna Vitelli and a kill by junior right side/middle hitter Ella Gawellek secured the opening set for BU, 25-6.
Set 2
Gawellek opened the second set with a kill, and junior outside hitter Chesed Russell followed with four service aces to give Bluefield an early 8-0 cushion. Wigg tallied three kills in the middle of the frame, extending the lead to 15-2. Gawellek then added three more kills, while senior defensive specialist Eledy Torres chipped in an ace to make it 20-4. Gawellek closed out the set with another flurry of kills, finishing with eight in the frame as BU rolled to another 25-6 win and a 2-0 match lead.
Set 3
Sweet Briar gained an early edge in the third, but a 7-0 Bluefield run swung momentum back to the Rams, 9-5. Boehm powered the surge with three aces and a kill, while senior middle hitter Camille Gonzalez Rivera added another kill. Freshman outside hitter Jaden Bradley registered her first career kill and ace to extend the advantage to 14-7. Russell delivered four late kills, and freshman setter Kylee Sturgill served four aces down the stretch to close out the sweep, 25-10.
Match Stats
Gawellek paced Bluefield with nine kills on 16 error-free swings (.563 hitting percentage). As a team, the Rams hit .444 with 30 kills against just six errors. Russell added seven kills, while Boehm chipped in six. Behind the service line, BU racked up 28 aces—the most in a match since at least 2022-23. Boehm led the charge with seven, followed by Sturgill (five), Russell (four), and Santana (three). Defensively, the Rams limited Sweet Briar to a –.059 hitting percentage.
