The Valpo volleyball team took a Drake squad which has lost just once in MVC play this season to a fifth set on its home court Friday evening in Des Moines, Iowa, but the host Bulldogs pulled out the final frame to earn a 3-2 (22-25, 25-16, 25-22, 25-27, 15-6) victory.
 
How It Happened

• Valpo looked like it gained control of the opening set at the media timeout, heading into the break with a 15-12 lead. Out of the stoppage, though, it was Drake with the momentum, going on a five-point run to take a 17-15 lead.
• Junior Sam Warren (Kentland, Ind./South Newton) responded with three kills as part of a 4-1 spurt which returned the advantage to the Beacons.
• Valpo extended its lead to 23-20, and while the Bulldogs scored the next two to move to within one, kills from freshmen Jessica Pickett (Carmel, Ind./Carmel) and Jordyn Gove (Amarillo, Texas/Randall) closed out the opening set in the Beacons' favor.
• Drake jumped out to a 14-3 lead in the second set on its way to evening the match at one set apiece.
• A 7-2 run in the middle of the third frame gave the Bulldogs a 17-13 lead, an advantage they would not relinquish. Valpo closed to within two points five times in the late stages of the set, but each time, Drake sided out before the Beacons could cut the deficit to one.
• Both sides battled for control of the fourth set, but eventually it became a race to five with the score tied 20-20. Kills from Gove and junior Maddie Moan (Woodstock, Ill./Woodstock [Milwaukee]) were part of a three-point spurt for Valpo to go up 23-20, but the Bulldogs came back with three in a row of their own.
• A kill by Warren gave Valpo set point at 24-23 before a Drake kill and a Valpo attack error turned the tables, making it match point Drake at 25-24. Senior Elise Swistek (LaPorte, Ind./New Prairie) came up with a big kill to extend the match, and followed with another termination for the Beacons' second chance  at winning the set — one they converted on a Bulldog hitting error to send the match to the fifth.
• Valpo was unable to string together points in the final set, as with the score tied 2-2, Drake went on a 10-1 run to all but end the match.

 
Inside the Match

• Valpo has now gone five sets with each of the top two teams in the Valley standings this year in UNI and Drake — squads that sit with a combined one loss in MVC play.
• The Beacons, who entered the match second in the MVC with 13.57 kills/set, were limited to just 55 kills in Friday's five sets. It matched the aforementioned five-set match against UNI for the team's lowest kills/set production in a single match in Valley action.
• Drake ended the night with a 64-55 advantage in kills and hit .211 to the Beacons' .130 clip.
• Swistek paced Valpo offensively with 15 kills, her ninth effort this year of 15 or more terminations. The senior added 11 digs as well for her 15^th double-double of the season.
• Warren hit double figures in kills for the seventh time this year, finishing with 11 kills.
• Both of Valpo's setters posted double-doubles — junior Addy Kois (Osceola, Ind./Penn) racked up 27 assists and 13 digs for her fourth of the season, while sophomore Mara Thomas (Bogart, Ga./Athens Academy) recorded her ninth of the season with 19 assists and 12 digs.
• Thomas also registered her 33^rd service ace of the season, moving her into a tie for fourth place by a Valpo player in the 25-point era.
• Junior Emma Hickey (Granger, Ind./Penn) continued her march towards the 2,000-dig mark with a 26-dig night. Hickey now sits at 1,937 career digs, just 21 shy from moving into fifth place in program history.

 
Next Up
Valpo (15-11, 7-7 MVC) heads to Cedar Falls on Saturday night to do battle with MVC-leading UNI. First serve is slated for 6 p.m.