Saturday, October 29, 2005

Jessi Novak (Antigo, Wis./Antigo) had 11 kills on 18 attacks to lead Valpo to a sixth straight win, 30-17, 30-24, 30-18 over Chicago State Friday night in Chicago, Ill.

Novak's 11 kills led all players, and her .444 hitting percentage was part of a simmering Crusader attack that finished the match hitting .336. Sophomore Nicole Schulz (Kewaskum, Wis./Kettle Moraine Lutheran) hit a match-high .667, recording a career-best four kills on six attacks, and senior Lauren Moulton (Elgin, Ill./Larkin) hit an equally eye-popping .571, notching four kills on seven attacks. Amy Palash (Winfield, Ill./Saint Francis) was second on the team with eight kills, hitting .412. In all, seven Crusaders hit better than .400, and 12 different Valpo players had at least one kill.

Jessie Fox (Granger, Ind./Penn) had a third consecutive strong effort, tallying six kills and a match-high four blocks while hitting .400. In three Crusader wins this week, Fox had 26 kills, 17 blocks, and hit a team-best .407.

Defensively, Katie Bova (Milwaukee, Wis./Divine Savior Holy Angels) and Tiffany Meikle (Cottage Grove, Wis./Monona Grove) had nine digs apiece, and Meikle added six kills to the Crusader attack.

Chicago State (2-24, 1-9 Mid-Con) was held to just a .073 hitting percentage, but did equal the Crusaders block with five. Shakeila Castile-Jones led the Cougars with nine kills.

The Crusaders (21-5, 10-1 Mid-Con) have one match remaining on a four-match road trip, Tuesday night at 6:00 against IPFW in Fort Wayne, Ind. Valpo returns home Friday, November 4 against Oakland. That match is scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m.