To come back from down two sets to win a volleyball match is tough enough. To face that deficit in back-to-back matches and overcome it in both contests is exponentially more difficult. But there's no bridge too far for the Valpo volleyball program, and the Beacons buckled down when they needed it for a second consecutive match, as after visiting Belmont claimed the first two sets at the ARC Friday night, Valpo came from behind to earn a 3-2 (22-25, 17-25, 25-21, 25-13, 15-9) victory over the Bruins.
 
How It Happened

• Not only did Valpo win sets three and four to force a decisive fifth set for a second straight match, it then faced the exact same issue in the final frame that it faced at SIU last Saturday — trailing 5-2, and standing at the bench after a timeout was used by head coach Carin Avery.
• Out of the stoppage, Ava Helming (Johnston, Iowa/Johnston) picked up a kill to start to turn the momentum back to the Beacons. Having just rotated in, Sam Warren (Kentland, Ind./South Newton) followed with a kill of her own and then combined with Lilly Merk (Terre Haute, Ind./Terre Haute South Vigo) on back-to-back blocks to give the Beacons the lead at 6-5 and force a Belmont timeout.
• Merk moved to the other pin after the timeout, teaming with Kadence Brumitt (Niles, Mich./Brandywine) on a rejection to make it a two-point lead. The teams traded sideouts over the next four points before Valpo gained separation with an ace from Merk and another Warren kill, as Belmont used a timeout trailing 11-7. The Beacons kept the Bruins at bay the rest of the way, eventually setting off the celebration on their second match point chance with a Helming kill.
• It was a long road to get to that decisive fifth set for the Beacons. In an evenly played opening frame which featured 12 ties and four lead changes, the two squads were tied as late as 21-21 before Belmont closed on a 4-1 spurt to take the first set.
• Valpo was within one point of the Bruins just past the halfway point of the second set, trailing just 14-13, before the visitors scored 11 of the final 15 points of the set to take the two-set lead into the in-game break.
• The Beacons kept the Bruins at a short arm's length throughout the second half of the third frame, as a key three-point spurt which included a kill and a block by Merk turned a 12-11 lead into a 15-11 advantage. Valpo sided out on seven of Belmont's next eight serves to keep the Bruins from putting a run together to challenge the lead, and Merk sent the match to a fourth set with a kill on the Beacons' second set point opportunity.
• The fourth set was all Valpo, as it hit .364 and limited Belmont to eight kills on .030 hitting. The Bruins had used both their timeouts by the time the Beacons led 7-2, and the lead never fell below four points the rest of the way. A six-point run on the serve of Jordyn Gove (Amarillo, Texas/Randall) provided plenty of breathing room as the match went the distance.

 
Inside the Match

• This marks the first time in Avery's tenure as Valpo head coach that it has won consecutive matches by a 3-2 final after trailing 2-0 in both of them. Her teams have now done so a total of 16 times in her 24 seasons.
• Friday was the first time Valpo turned a 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 win at the ARC since doing so versus Loyola Oct. 5, 2018.
• As previously noted, not only did each of the last two matches feature a 3-2 win after trailing 2-0, they also both saw Valpo trailing 5-2 in the fifth set as well.
• This is the fourth time in the last five matches Valpo has won in five sets, the first time it has won four matches that have gone the distance in that close proximity in program history.
• The Beacons' current five-match winning streak ties their second-longest winning stretch in conference play since joining the Valley. A win Saturday would match their best streak, a six-match streak in 2023.
• The win improved Valpo to 6-1 in MVC play, not only its best start in Valley action since joining the conference, but two games up on third place in the conference standings.
• The victory pushes Valpo's overall record to 15-5, guaranteeing the Beacons no worse than a .500 winning percentage this season. With a win Saturday, Valpo would secure its 22^nd winning season in Avery's 24 seasons.
• As she has done all season, Helming led the way Friday, finishing with a match-best 16 kills, 14 of which came in the last three sets and 11 of which came in the final two frames — including five in the fifth set alone.
• Merk matched her career high, set earlier this year against #22 Missouri, with 13 kills on .300 hitting.
• Valpo reached double digits in blocks for the ninth time this season, finishing with 10 rejections. It was a total team effort at the net, as no Beacon was in on more than four stuffs — Brumitt doubled her career best with four blocks, Maddie Moan (Woodstock, Ill./Woodstock [Milwaukee]) bested her previous season high with four blocks and Merk was in on four rejections as well.
• The service game proved vital Friday — Valpo tallied five service aces against just two service errors, matching its season low in the latter column, while Belmont had just one ace versus nine errors.
• Emma Hickey (Granger, Ind./Penn) led four Beacons in double figures in the digs department with 18 digs, leaving her just nine digs shy of former Missouri State standout Emily Butters for 6^th in MVC history.
• Gove tallied 17 digs, Mara Thomas (Bogart, Ga./Athens Academy) posted 15 digs to go with 24 assists for her seventh double-double of the season and Brumitt chipped in 10 digs.

 
Next Up
Valpo (15-5, 6-1 MVC) looks to extend its winning streak as it hosts Murray State at 5 p.m. Saturday evening. It will be Taylor Swift Night at the ARC, and fans can buy tickets by visiting https://tickets.valpoathletics.com/event/valpo-volleyball-vs-murray-state-15o01s.