The Valpo volleyball team conquered one of its toughest nemeses in recent years in Missouri Valley Conference action Tuesday evening in table-turning fashion, heading to Chicago and coming away with a 3-0 (25-17, 25-23, 25-23) sweep of host UIC. Sophomore Ava Helming (Johnston, Iowa/Johnston) continued her stellar campaign by hitting over .500 with 15 kills to lead the way.
 
How It Happened

• After an early tussle for control in the opening set, an 8-0 run on the serve of Lilly Merk (Terre Haute, Ind./Terre Haute South Vigo) — featuring four kills from Helming — gave Valpo a 14-6 lead.
• The Beacons' lead reached as many as 10 points in the set, and they kept the Flames from getting any closer than five the rest of the way, eventually closing the opener on a block from Helming and Merk to take the 1-0 lead in the match.
• It looked like set two would play out similarly to set one, as Valpo led from the outset, forced an early UIC timeout at 9-4 and pushed its lead up to an apex of eight points late at 22-14.
• The Flames didn't go down quietly, reeling off six straight points to slice the Beacons' advantage to 22-20. A kill from Helming stopped the run, and Valpo eventually earned set point at 24-21. UIC kept the set alive twice, but on an attempt to push it into extra points, the Flames committed a service error to close out the frame in Valpo's favor.
• Valpo led from the start in set three, but UIC kept it close, as the Beacons' largest lead was just three points. The Flames eventually tied the set at 18-18, and again at 19-19.
• It looked like the Beacons had claimed the momentum at that point with a three-point spurt, including a Jordyn Gove (Amarillo, Texas/Randall) kill and a block by Jessica Pickett (Carmel, Ind./Carmel) and Sam Warren (Kentland, Ind./South Newton), to pull out to a 22-19 lead.
• UIC flipped the script with four consecutive kills, taking the lead for the first time in the set at 23-22 and sitting two points from forcing a fourth frame.
• But it proved to be the Beacons with the final, decisive push. Warren evened the score with a kill, and a UIC attack error on the next point gave Valpo a match point chance at 24-23. After a back-and-forth rally, Kadence Brumitt (Niles, Mich./Brandywine) closed out the evening with a neat tip over a double block.

 
Inside the Match

• Tuesday's win was the Beacons' first over UIC since the Flames joined the MVC prior to the 2022 season. UIC had won eight straight in the series, including eliminating Valpo from the MVC Tournament two of those three years.
• Even more notably, Valpo had not won a single set in three visits to UIC in MVC play before earning all three set wins Tuesday.
• The Beacons sit at 4-1 in MVC play, matching their best Valley start through five matches since joining the conference (2018, 2021). That start comes having faced the toughest schedule based on preseason polling in the conference, as Valpo has faced each of the top four teams in the preseason poll.
• Tuesday's win was Valpo's third away from home in the last five days.
• Leading the way Tuesday was Helming, who continues to stand out on the right side. The sophomore tied for match-high honors with 15 kills, hitting at a .520 clip.
• Helming has been in double figures in kills in all five of Valpo's MVC contests, has tallied 15-plus kills six times this year and has led the Beacons in that department 12 times.
• Warren again joined Helming in putting together a strong performance from the right, tallying 12 kills. The senior has been in double figures in kills in three straight matches and eight times total this season.
• Gove chipped in eight kills on .300 hitting and led the Beacons with 14 digs, the first time in her career she has paced Valpo in digs. Emma Hickey (Granger, Ind./Penn) had 13 digs as well.
• Gove, Hickey and Brumitt excelled in serve receive as well, as the Beacons tied their season best by giving up just one service ace.
• UIC ended the night with a slight 44-43 edge in kills, but the Beacons committed just 14 attack errors to hit .242 versus the Flames' 23 attack errors and .157 hitting percentage.

 
Next Up
Valpo (13-5, 4-1) goes after a fourth straight road win on Saturday at 5 p.m. when it treks to Carbondale, Ill. to face Southern Illinois.