The Valpo volleyball team dropped its MVC road opener Monday evening at UIC, falling in straight sets (25-12, 25-16, 25-14) to the Flames.

How It Happened

• Valpo scored the first two points of the opening set, but the Flames came back with 10 of the next 12 to take control.
• UIC extended an 8-7 lead to 16-8 with an 8-1 run midway through set two to pull away in that frame.
• The Beacons came out of the gate strong to start the third set, scoring the first five points of the set. But with the lead at 7-3, the Flames scored seven in a row to take the lead for good on their way to finishing the sweep.

Inside the Match

• Valpo was held to -.010 hitting for the match, while the Flames hit .255 and held a 40-21 advantage in kills.
• Junior Mallory Januski (Bourbonnais, Ill./Bradley-Bourbonnais) had a team-high five kills, while junior Victoria Bulmahn (McCordsville, Ind./Mt. Vernon) led Valpo with 11 assists.
• Freshman Emma Hickey (Granger, Ind./Penn) tied for match-high honors with 14 digs.
• Januski was in on a team-best four of Valpo’s eight blocks.

Next Up

Valpo (13-2, 1-2 MVC) returns to the court Friday evening at Illinois State. First serve from Normal, Ill. is slated for 6 p.m. and the match can be seen live on ESPN3.