Volleyball Recap: Merrick Bruce Key Part of Team Effort in Bearcats Win

Kearney won the last time they faced Lincoln Northeast and things went their way on Tuesday too. The Bearcats sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 2-1 victory over the Rockets. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Bearcats have posted since October 4th.

It was an exciting match in which no team won back-to-back sets, but at the end of the day Kearney got the one that really mattered. Once all was said and done, the final score wound up at 25-20, 23-25, 25-11.

Merrick Bruce

Digs

10/21/25 @ Lincoln Northeast	18
10/14/25 vs Duchesne	13
10/11/25 @ Lincoln Southeast	7
10/11/25 @ Lincoln Northeast	8
10/09/25 vs North Platte	12
+ 19 more games

Kearney's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Merrick Bruce led the charge by getting 18 digs and three assists. That's the most digs Bruce has posted since back in September. The team also got some help courtesy of Alyssa Bauer, who had 13 digs and three aces.

Despite the defeat, Lincoln Northeast had strong showings from Addy Murrell, who had seven digs and two aces, and McKinzie Peterson, who had 14 assists and six digs. Peterson is on a roll when it comes to assists, as she's now posted 14 or more in each of the last three games she's played.

Kearney's victory bumped their record up to 20-11. As for Lincoln Northeast, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 12-20.

As of now, neither Kearney nor the Rockets have any future games scheduled.