Valparaiso (15-10, 7-6 MVC)
Friday, Nov. 8 - at Drake (16-8, 12-1 MVC) - 6 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 9 - at UNI (18-7, 13-0 MVC) - 6 p.m.

Next Up For Valpo Volleyball: The Valpo volleyball team faces its final road trip of the regular season this weekend, traveling to take on the MVC's top two teams in the standings as the Beacons match up with Drake Friday night and UNI Saturday evening.

Previously: The Beacons were swept by Missouri State in Springfield last Friday, but responded with a three-set victory at Southern Illinois on Saturday.

Looking Ahead: Valpo plays its final three matches of the regular season at home, taking on Indiana State and Evansville next weekend before hosting UIC on Tuesday, Nov. 19. The match against Evansville will serve as the Beacons' Senior Night.

Following the Beacons: Both matches this week will be broadcast live on ESPN+. The matches will have live stats available as well, linked via ValpoAthletics.com.

Head Coach Carin Avery: In her 23rd season as head coach at Valparaiso, Carin Avery is the all-time winningest head coach across all sports in the history of Valpo Athletics. She has won 504 matches (504-253, .666) at the helm of the program and has led Valpo to three league regular season and tournament titles. The program has made seven postseason appearances under Avery, including three NCAA Tournament appearances, and advanced to the championship match of the 2021 NIVC. Avery has coached 62 All-League recipients over her tenure at Valpo, which has spanned three different conferences. She is Valpo's all-time leader in both victories and winning percentage, and owns a 559-277 (.669) record overall as a head coach.

Series History: Drake - Valpo is 13-8 all-time against the Bulldogs, including a 12-7 mark under Avery and a 9-6 record since joining the Valley. However, the Bulldogs have earned wins in each of the last four meetings, including a four-set win at the ARC last month. Elise Swistek led four Beacons in double figures in kills with 15 in that matchup, while Emma Hickey paced Valpo with 33 digs.

UNI - The Panthers hold an 19-4 advantage in the all-time series, including wins in each of the last five matchups between the programs. Last month at the ARC, Valpo took the first two sets before UNI rallied back to earn a 3-2 win. Swistek had 13 kills to lead the Beacons, while Emma Hickey posted 34 digs and Lilly Merk tallied seven blocks.

Scouting the Opposition: Drake - The Bulldogs are second in the Valley standings, coming into Friday's match at 16-8 overall and 12-1 in MVC play. Jada Wills leads the nation with 6.74 digs/set, while Macy Daufeldt is second in the Valley with 4.18 kills/set.

UNI - The Panthers come into the weekend perfect in Valley play, owning a 13-0 MVC record and an 18-7 overall mark. Kira Fallert (3.87, 4th) and Cassidy Hartman (3.43, 8th) both rank among the MVC's top-10 in kills/set, while Kacie Rewerts is second in the Valley in blocks/set (1.43) and fourth in hitting percentage (.333).

Valpo Picked Sixth in Preseason Poll: Valpo was picked to finish in sixth place in the Missouri Valley Conference in 2024, according to preseason polling of the conference's head coaches. The Beacons shared sixth position with Missouri State, while UNI topped the poll. In six of Valpo's seven seasons in the Valley, the program has met or exceeded its preseason prognostication.

Looking Back at Last Season: Valpo is coming off a third consecutive postseason appearance in 2023, as the Beacons earned an at-large berth in the NIVC. The program posted an 18-15 overall record and went 10-8 in MVC play, finishing in a tie for fifth place in the Valley standings. Miranda Strongman earned First Team All-MVC honors, while Mallory Januski was a Second Team All-MVC honoree.

Who's Back: This year's squad returns nine letterwinners from the 2023 team, a group which includes the team's leader in kills (Elise Swistek) and digs (Emma Hickey). The Beacons return a good bit of their back row defensive production, as 65.7% of the team's digs from last year are back in 2024.

Who's Gone: Valpo did graduate a talented class which accounted for a good portion of the team's front row production last year, as the Beacons return just 37.9% of the kills and 25.3% of the blocks from 2023. Middles Mallory Januski and Miranda Strongman, both All-MVC selections last year, ended their Valpo careers 1-2 in program history in career hitting percentage, while the team also graduated players who ranked among the top-10 in program history in career digs (outside hitter Bella Ravotto) and assists (setter Victoria Bulmahn).

Who's New: While there's a lot of production from last year to replace in 2024, there's also an exciting new class of rookies eager to take on the challenge of stepping up into contributing roles. This year's squad has nine players with freshman eligibility - one redshirt (Jessica Pickett) and eight true freshmen. The incoming class includes two players who were AVCA High School All-Americans last year (Ava Helming, Second Team; Lilly Merk, Third Team) and three others who were First Team All-State honorees as high school seniors (Jordyn Gove, Drew Glaser, Kadence Brumitt).

Winning Streak Snapped: Valpo had its season-best five-match winning streak snapped last Friday in a three-set loss at Missouri State. While the streak came to an end, it still is the program's second-longest in conference play since joining the MVC, outdone only by last year's team, which won six consecutive Valley matchups.

Bouncing Back in a Big Way: The Beacons rebounded well from their Friday defeat at Missouri State, coming back less than 24 hours later and sweeping Southern Illinois on its home floor. It is the first time the program has lost 3-0 in the first match of a conference weekend and rebounded with a 3-0 win the next night since Valpo's first season in the MVC in 2017 - notably, that year's team did the 0-3 to 3-0 back-to-back three separate times.

What a Rally: The winning streak wouldn't have been a thing had it not been for the Beacons' big rally at Belmont after trailing 2-1 and 23-17 in the fourth set. The Beacons finished the fourth set on a 9-1 run to force the fifth frame, and then scored eight straight to start the fifth set on their way to a 15-4 win. All told, it was a 24-5 run between the fourth and fifth sets. It was the program's first win after facing a match point since scoring the final three points of the match after trailing 14-13 in the fifth set against South Alabama Sept. 4, 2021, while it was the first win when trailing after three sets since last November against Bradley. Meanwhile, the 15-4 win in the fifth set was Valpo's largest fifth-set win since a 15-2 final-frame win at Illinois State Feb. 22, 2021.

Next Stop, 600: Head coach Carin Avery reached yet another milestone in mid-October, winning her 500th match in charge of the Valpo program with the Beacons' win at Murray State. Valpo's all-time winningest coach in any sport, Avery's 500th win came in her 752nd match in charge of the program. In her 23rd season as head coach, Avery's squads have averaged better than 22 wins per season over her 22 complete years. Avery is the second current MVC coach to win at least 500 matches at their current institution, joining UNI's Bobbi Petersen.

Racking Up the Kills: Freshman Ava Helming continued her recent strong play last weekend, averaging 3.67 kills/set, including 13 kills on .400 hitting in the Beacons' sweep of SIU. Over Valpo's last seven matches, Helming is hitting .376 with 3.61 kills/set, has six matches with double-figure kills and has hit at least .400 four times. For the season, Helming has totaled 233 kills, the most by a Valpo freshman since Allison Ketcham recorded 249 kills in 2014. Over the last month, Helming has once earned MVC Player of the Week honors and twice been named MVC Freshman of the Week.

The Rookies Produce: Valpo's freshman class has been leaned on for major production all season long. The Beacons' rookies have accounted for 61.1% of the team's kills, 28.9% of the aces and 75.1% of the blocks this year. That comes out to a total of 60.0% of the team's points accounted for by freshmen, a mark which ranks third nationally, trailing only Mississippi Valley State and Le Moyne. Freshmen have combined for 32 matches with double-figure kill totals and 20 matches with five or more blocks.

Near the Top: Junior Emma Hickey currently ranks second in D-I in digs/set (5.65) and third in total digs (548). With 1,911 career digs, Hickey has far and away the most digs of any D-I junior, as number two on that list - Montana State's Lauren Lindseth - sits at 1,359 career digs. In fact, Hickey ranks 22nd nationally overall among D-I players in career digs.