Valparaiso (10-5, 1-1 MVC)
Friday, Oct. 3 - at Illinois State (6-8, 1-1 MVC) - 6 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 4 - at Bradley (8-6, 2-0 MVC) - 5 p.m.

Next Up For Valpo Volleyball: A stretch of four straight MVC matches on the road kicks off this weekend for the Valpo volleyball team, as the Beacons make the trip to central Illinois to take on Illinois State and Bradley.

Previously: Valpo split its opening weekend of conference action, taking down Drake in four sets before coming up just short against preseason favorite and three-time defending conference champion UNI.

Looking Ahead: Two more road matches await the Beacons next week, as they make a mid-week trip to UIC before heading to Southern Illinois.

Following the Beacons: Both matches this weekend are scheduled to be streamed on ESPN+. Live stats are also available for both matches via ValpoAthletics.com.

Head Coach Carin Avery: In her 24th season as head coach at Valpo, Carin Avery is the all-time winningest head coach across all sports in the history of Valpo Athletics. She has won 517 matches (517-262, .664) at the helm of the program and has led Valpo to three league regular season and three league 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 61 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 572-286 (.667) record overall as a head coach.

Series History: Illinois State - The Redbirds own a 14-6 advantage in the all-time series, including a 12-4 mark since Valpo joined the MVC. The Beacons have won the last two matchups however, including a four-set win at the ARC in the lone meeting last season.

Bradley - Valpo holds an 18-12 edge in the all-time series against the Braves, including a 10-5 mark since joining the Valley. The Beacons have won six in a row in the series, including a 3-1 win last season at the ARC in the lone meeting of the year. Prior to that result last season, the last four matches in the series had all gone the full five sets in Valpo's favor.

Scouting the Opposition: Illinois State - The Redbirds enter Friday's match at 6-8 overall this year and are 1-1 in MVC play, having beaten Indiana State and fallen to Bradley on opening weekend. Khenedi Guest leads all MVC players with 1.29 blocks/set, while Arianna Rossi ranks fourth in the Valley with 4.24 digs/set.

Bradley - The Braves sit at 8-6 overall this year and are 2-0 after the opening weekend of MVC play, with wins over Evansville and Illinois State. Maria Drapp leads all MVC players with 9.28 assists/set, while Irene Mostardini sits second in the Valley with 0.48 service aces/set.

Conquering Central Illinois: A road trip which treated Valpo very poorly its first few years in the MVC has turned into a happy bus ride of late. In Valpo's first four seasons in the Valley (excluding the COVID spring 2021 season), it went a combined 1-8 in its road matches at Illinois State and Bradley. But, in 2022 and 2023, the Beacons went a combined 4-0 against the Redbirds and the Braves on their respective home courts. Last season, the lone meetings between the teams were at Valpo.

Battling the Panthers: Facing a UNI squad which has now won 39 straight regular season matches against MVC opponents and 45 straight overall, Valpo was up to the task on Saturday, playing point-for-point with the Panthers. While the Beacons dropped the match 3-1, they matched UNI with 92 points over the four sets, becoming the first MVC program to tie or win the total points battle with UNI since Drake in the 2022 MVC title match. This comes one season after the Beacons went up 2-0 against UNI at the ARC before falling in five sets - the only MVC team to push UNI to a fifth set in its current regular season winning streak.

A Defensive Weekend: Valpo's defense stood out in both of its matches last weekend. The Beacons held Drake to .087 hitting in Friday's win, recording 12 blocks, and then limited UNI to .101 hitting on Saturday, posting 13 more blocks. UNI's hitting percentage was especially notable, as it was the Panthers' lowest hitting percentage against an MVC foe since Valpo held UNI to .058 hitting in a Valpo win at the ARC March 15, 2021. For the season, Valpo's opponents are hitting just .150, best in the Valley and good for 12th nationally.

Digging It and Killing It: The Beacons rank among the nation's best on both sides of the ball this season. Valpo currently sits atop the MVC rankings with 17.21 digs/set, a mark which ranks eighth nationally, while it is second in the Valley and 26th nationally with 13.91 kills/set. Notably, that latter mark would be the program's best kills/set average in a season since 2015.

Avoid the Block: A big key to the Beacons' success, or lack thereof, so far this season has been their ability to avoid the opponents' block on the attack. In Valpo's five losses, its opponents have posted an eye-popping 80 blocks (3.64/set), while in Valpo's 10 wins, its opponents have only tallied 67 blocks (1.97/set).

Pickett Gets It Done: Sophomore middle Jessica Pickett earned the first conference weekly award of her career this week, as she was tabbed MVC Player of the Week after standing out in the middle on both sides of the net. Pickett hit .391 on the opening weekend of conference play with 2.88 kills/set and a team-best 1.50 blocks/set, ranking among the Valley's top-10 for the week in blocks/set, points/set and hitting percentage. She opened the weekend by hitting .500 with 11 kills — just one off her career best — and six blocks in the win over Drake, and followed the next night against UNI with a team-best 12 kills to match her career high, as well as six blocks.

Steady in the Back: Senior libero Emma Hickey also earned recognition from the MVC for her performances last weekend, as she was named Defensive Player of the Week for the second time this season and the sixth time in her career. Hickey, who currently ranks seventh nationally in digs/set, averaged 6.25 digs/set — best among MVC players for the weekend — and committed just one serve reception error on 45 attempts over the pair of matches. She registered a match-best 27 digs, as well as seven assists, in the Friday win over Drake before tying for match-high honors with 23 digs Saturday versus UNI.

An Eye on the Record Books: With 50 more digs last weekend, Hickey continued her march up various record books. The senior enters this weekend with 2,373 career digs, which at her career pace, it'll be a photo finish for her to perhaps catch Taylor Root for second place in program history. Other charts to keep an eye on include the MVC career leaders - where she is currently 50 shy of former Drake standout Alana Wittenburg or 7th - and the NCAA career leaders - where she is 165 away from the top-25 all-time. Hickey leads all active NCAA players (all divisions) in career digs and owns over 600 more digs than any other active Division I player. 

Right Side, Strong Side: Sophomore right side Ava Helming enjoyed a strong rookie season in 2024, earning a spot on the MVC All-Freshman Team, and has taken her game to another level this season. Helming enters the weekend pacing the Beacons and ranked seventh in the Valley with 3.23 kills/set. She has led Valpo in kills in nine of the season's first 15 matches and has reached double digits 10 times as well.

A Balanced Attack: As they have over the past few years, the Beacons once again feature a very balanced attack this year. Helming is Valpo's only player in the top-600 in the nation in kills/set. Sophomore outside Jordyn Gove, senior right side Sam Warren and sophomore outside Kadence Brumitt all average between 2.18 and 2.39 kills/set, while sophomore middle Lilly Merk checks in just shy of two kills/set.

Still Underclassmen: It's easy to forget, given the number of returnees this year's Beacon squad features, that a large number of those returnees are still just sophomores. 78.7% of the team's kills and 77.9% of the team's blocks have come courtesy of the underclassmen.

Players of the Week: With its two most recent honorees, Valpo has racked up five weekly awards from the MVC office this season. Emma Hickey was recognized as Defensive Player of the Week for the first time this year following the opening weekend of the season, which saw her earn All-Tournament Team honors at the USI Invitational as she averaged 6.60 digs/set and committed just one serve reception error on 49 attempts. On Sept. 15, the Beacons boasted a pair of award winners: Lilly Merk was named Defensive Player of the Week for the first time in her career after averaging 1.50 blocks/set, highlighted by a 12-block effort in Valpo's upset bid at Northwestern, while Keira Lucas was tabbed Freshman of the Week as she averaged 2.44 kills/set on .302 hitting and 2.00 digs/set while committing just one serve reception error on 49 attempts at the Lehigh Steel Classic.

Capturing Crowns: Valpo has continued its penchant for winning in-season tournament titles under Carin Avery this season, claiming a share of the crown at the USI Invitational and sweeping its way to the Lehigh Steel Classic title. Valpo has won 36 in-season tournament titles in Avery's time as head coach. The team has won at least one tournament in 18 of her seasons, and multiple tournaments 12 times. Those tournament titles have come in 14 different states.

All-Tournament Accolades: Over the course of Valpo's four early-season tournaments, six players combined to earn a total of nine All-Tournament Team honors.
- Leatherneck Classic: Emma Hickey, Lilly Merk
- Lehigh Steel Classic: Kadence Brumitt (MVP), Addy Kois
- EMU Tournament: Ava Helming, Merk
- USI Invitational: Helming, Hickey, Sam Warren

New-Look Conference Slate: With MVC membership down to 11 volleyball programs, the conference schedule has been pared back to 16 matches this season, meaning there will be four teams each team plays only once. Valpo's matchups against Drake and UNI on opening weekend were its lone looks at the Iowa-based schools this season, while the Beacons will also face Evansville and Indiana State just once apiece. In addition, the MVC Tournament will feature just six teams this season after previously featuring eight programs.

MVC Success: Valpo is looking to continue its run of success in conference play again this season, as the program has finished in the top-half of the Valley standings in each of its eight years in the conference, the only MVC program to accomplish that feat. Going back further, Valpo has posted top-half conference finishes in 22 of Avery's 23 seasons - as well as qualifying for the conference tournament in each of her 23 seasons - and 31 of the last 32 years overall.

Looking Back at Last Year: Valpo is coming off an 18-win season in 2024, a campaign highlighted by the amount of production generated by the team's youth. Jessica Pickett set program freshman records for hitting percentage and blocks, while Ava Helming had the third-most kills by a freshman in Avery's tenure as both rookies earned spots on the MVC All-Freshman Team. On the more veteran side, Emma Hickey became the fastest player in program history and tied for the fastest in MVC history to reach 2,000 career digs.

Who's Back: In a nutshell, everybody who could be. All 16 players who ended last season on the Beacons squad with remaining eligibility return for Valpo in 2025. That group accounted for 78.1% of the kills, 84.4% of the service aces, 78.0% of the digs and 93.9% of the blocks from the 2024 season.

Who's Gone: Valpo graduated just two players from last year's squad: Abby Boyle and Elise Swistek. Swistek's production will be the big piece to replace, as she closed her time at Valpo as one of just 10 players in program history to surpass 1,000 kills (1,018; 19th) and 1,000 digs (1,479; 12th).

Who's New: The Beacons welcome two freshmen to the large group of returnees this year. Keira Lucas is an outside hitter who was a three-time All-State honoree at Northview [Ind.] H.S., while Olivia Wagner is a setter who helped lead Lakeville South [Minn.] H.S. to the 2024 Minnesota Class AAAA state championship.

Winning Tradition Continues: The Beacons secured a winning 2024 season as they completed the campaign with an 18-14 record, the 21st winning season in 23 years under head coach Carin Avery. Valpo has won 20 or more matches in 18 of Avery's 23 seasons as well, and has averaged 22 wins per season in Avery's tenure.

Young But Mighty: Legendary college basketball coach Al McGuire is credited for having said "The best thing about freshmen is that they become sophomores." If that's the case for last year's class of Valpo volleyball freshmen, opponents are in for a rough time this season. Last year's freshman class accounted for 59.1% of the team's kills, 31.1% of the aces and 73.6% of the blocks in the 2024 campaign. That comes out to a total of 58.7% of the team's points accounted for by freshmen last season, a mark which ranked third nationally among D-I programs, trailing only Mississippi Valley State and Le Moyne - two programs which combined for just eight wins, compared with the Beacons' 18 victories. Prior to last season, none of Avery's teams in her time at Valpo had freshmen account for even 30% of the team's points.

Digging Deep: Valpo continued its long tradition of strong back row play last fall, finishing the 2024 campaign 19th nationally with an average of 17.20 digs/set. The program has ranked among the top-30 nationally in digs/set in every season since 2009, including 14 seasons among the top-20 and four seasons among the top-10 - highlighted by the 2017 campaign in which Valpo led the nation with 20.03 digs/set. Other top finishes include fourth nationally in the spring 2021 season (20.37/set), a fourth-place rank in 2010 and a sixth-place finish in 2015. Since the move to 25-point scoring, only seven teams have averaged more than 20 digs/set over the course of a season, and Valpo is the only program to have done it twice. 2018 saw Valpo lead the nation with 2,613 total digs - a mark which set a program single-season record and a Division I record in the 25-point era. Valpo also boasts two of the top-10 athletes in D-I history in career digs - Rylee Cookerly (2nd; 3,175) and Taylor Root (10th; 2,752).

Libero on Lockdown: Senior Emma Hickey has been quite simply one of the nation's most prolific liberos since stepping on campus prior to the 2022 campaign. She's ranked among the top-15 nationally in digs/set in each of her first three seasons, ending last season in third position with 5.72 digs/set. Her 715 total digs last year were sixth-most in a single season in program history.

The Pickett Fence: Sophomore Jessica Pickett made a big impact at the net in her first season of collegiate volleyball last year. An MVC All-Freshman Team honoree, Pickett ranked third in the Valley in blocks/set (1.14, 139 total) and fourth in hitting percentage (.331). She  set Valpo freshman records for both hitting percentage and total blocks - her hitting percentage ranked third overall and second in the 25-point era in Valpo's single-season record book, while he block total ranked eighth overall and third in the 25-point era.

At the Helm(ing): Sophomore Ava Helming joined Pickett as an MVC All-Freshman Team honoree last season for her strong work on both sides of the net at the right pin as a rookie. Helming ranked second on the team with 293 kills and 78 blocks - her 293 kills is tied for third-most by a freshman under head coach Carin Avery, while 78 blocks ranks sixth by a freshman under Avery. The only other freshman to rank among the top-10 in both kills and blocks by a rookie in the Avery era was another right side in Morgan Beil, who developed into a three-time All-Horizon League performer.

Next Stop, 600: Head coach Carin Avery reached yet another milestone last 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. Avery is the second current MVC coach to win at least 500 matches at their current institution, joining UNI's Bobbi Petersen.