Taking on the MVC preseason favorites at the ARC Friday night to open a busy Homecoming Weekend of athletic events, the Valpo volleyball team took the first two sets from UNI, but the Panthers came back to win each of the final three frames to deal the Beacons a 3-2 (20-25, 22-25, 25-14, 25-23, 15-11) defeat.
 
How It Happened

• The fourth set presented the best opportunity for Valpo to close out the match and was the most back-and-forth frame of the night, featuring 10 ties and four lead changes.
• UNI led by four points approaching the halfway mark with an 11-7 edge, but it was Valpo which surpassed the halfway point in front, as the Beacons reeled off a 6-1 run to take a 13-12 lead.
• The teams battled for control up to 17-17, at which point UNI scored three in a row to seemingly take control with a 20-17 lead. The Beacons responded with five of the next six points, capped by an Ava Helming (Johnston, Iowa/Johnston) which gave Valpo the 22-21 lead.
• A kill from UNI was answered by a termination by freshman Lilly Merk (Terre Haute, Ind./Terre Haute South Vigo), as Valpo closed to within two points of finishing the victory. But the Panthers' Kira Fallert racked up kills on each of the next three points to force the fifth set.
• After trailing 3-1 early in set five, Valpo scored four points in a row, with a block from Merk and junior Sam Warren (Kentland, Ind./South Newton) giving the Beacons a 5-3 lead.
• Valpo maintained the two-point edge at 6-4 before back-to-back Panthers points tied the set at 6-6. The Beacons sided out at both 6-6 and 7-7 to keep UNI from regaining the edge, but following the changeover at 8-7, the Panthers went on a 6-1 run and then traded sideouts to close the match.
• It was an inauspicious start to the opening frame for the Beacons, as UNI opened the night with a 4-0 run. Valpo responded with four in a row, but was unable to pull in front, as the Panthers held the lead for most of the set.
• With UNI leading 19-16, Helming and Jessica Pickett (Carmel, Ind./Carmel) combined on a block to regain the serve, and the Beacons went on a run with Emma Hickey (Granger, Ind./Penn) at the service line, taking Valpo all the way to set point at 24-19. On the second chance to close the opening frame, senior Elise Swistek (LaPorte, Ind./New Prairie) picked up a kill to give the Beacons the opener.
• It would take an even bigger late push for Valpo to claim set two, as after a battle for control early, UNI led through the middle stages and pushed its lead to seven points at 20-13.
• Merk picked up a kill to set up a service run from freshman Mia Liberti (Chicago, Ill./De La Salle Institute), as the Beacons racked up the next four points in a row on her serve to close to within 20-18.
• An error briefly slowed the Valpo momentum, but Warren picked right back up with a kill and then it was time for sophomore Mara Thomas (Bogart, Ga./Athens Academy) to go on a service run of her own. Pickett picked up a pair of blocks during the run and Thomas delivered a pair of aces, the second of which completed the 11-1 run and gave Valpo set point at 24-21. On the second chance, a UNI attack error sent the Beacons into intermission with the 2-0 lead.
• UNI came out with the best of the third set, starting the set on an 11-3 run and never letting Valpo approach the lead for the remainder of the frame.

 
Inside the Match

• Valpo's performance Friday came against a UNI program which not only was picked to win the MVC in this season's preseason poll, but is 38-1 in MVC regular season action since the start of the 2022 campaign and has won the last two MVC tournament titles.
• After winning their first two five-set matches of the year, the Beacons have dropped their last four, including two over the last two weekends in Valley play.
• Valpo limited UNI to .081 hitting over the first two sets, but the Panthers came back to hit .270 over the final three frames.
• Despite playing five sets, no Beacon had more than 13 kills, with Swistek leading the squad in that category.
• It was a balanced attack for Valpo Friday, as all six attackers finished between six and 13 kills. Warren joined Swistek in double figures, tallying 11 kills on .242 hitting, while Pickett notched seven kills on .316 hitting.
• Valpo tallied 13 team blocks, its sixth time in double figures in the category this season and third-most by a UNI opponent this year. The latter placement is impressive considering UNI's nonconference schedule included five top-25 opponents and another opponent which was receiving votes nationally.
• The freshmen led the way on the block for the Beacons, as Merk and Helming each set season bests with seven and six rejections, respectively. Pickett added five blocks as well, her seventh time this year with at least five blocks.
• Hickey led the way in the back row with a match-best 34 digs, her 10^th career effort of at least 30 digs. Kadence Brumitt (Niles, Mich./Brandywine) flew past her previous season best with a 16-dig night, while Swistek added 12 digs for the 32^nd double-double of her career.

 
Next Up
Valpo (9-6, 1-2 MVC) faces another tough test on Saturday in a five-day stretch of challenging matchups, as Drake — which was picked third in the MVC preseason poll and sits at 3-0 in Valley play — visits the ARC. First serve is slated for 6 p.m.