The Valpo volleyball team dropped a Missouri Valley Conference match at the ARC to visiting Illinois State Friday evening by a 3-0 (25-21, 25-22, 25-20) final. During the match, fifth-year outside hitter Bella Ravotto (Mishawaka, Ind./Marian) moved into the top-10 in program history in career digs.
How It Happened
- Illinois State led by as many as six points at 13-7 in set one. Valpo put together an 8-2 run to completely erase the deficit and move into a 15-15 tie, but the Beacons were unable to pull in front as the Redbirds took the opener.
- The first half of set two was all Valpo, as it hit the halfway point of the frame with a 13-7 lead. ISU scored 10 of the next 14 points to tie the set at 17-all, and while the Beacons still held a lead as late as 20-19, the Redbirds scored six of the set’s final eight points to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
- Illinois State held a 14-11 edge in set three before a 6-1 spurt gave Valpo a 17-15 lead. That was where the Beacons’ lead topped out, however, as Illinois State closed the match on a 10-3 run to complete the sweep.
Inside the Match
- Ravotto moved past Angie Nordquist to crack Valpo’s all-time top-10 in career digs, finishing the night with 1,482 career digs.
- Junior Elise Swistek (LaPorte, Ind./New Prairie) finished the match with a double-double, posting a team-best 11 kills and 10 digs.
- Redshirt sophomore Sam Warren (Kentland, Ind./South Newton) matched her career best with nine kills on .400 hitting and also paced Valpo with three blocks.
- Senior Victoria Bulmahn (McCordsville, Ind./Mt. Vernon) led the Beacons with 18 assists.
- Sophomore Emma Hickey (Granger, Ind./Penn) tallied a team-best 18 digs.
- Valpo held a 44-40 advantage in kills over the visiting Redbirds, but ISU hit .246 to the Beacons’ .156 clip.
Next Up
Valpo (10-9, 2-4 MVC) looks for a bounce-back performance on Saturday evening in its Girls and Women in Sport Celebration Match, as the Beacons take on Bradley at 5 p.m. Children 12 and under receive free t-shirts and popcorn.
