The Valpo volleyball team reached the 20-win milestone for the 19^th time in 24 seasons under head coach Carin Avery Saturday with a 3-0 (25-13, 25-20, 25-20) sweep at Murray State Saturday evening. During the match, Emma Hickey (Granger, Ind./Penn) moved into the top-20 in NCAA Division I history in career digs, while Addy Kois (Osceola, Ind./Penn) cracked Valpo's career top-10 chart in assists.
 
How It Happened

• Valpo never trailed in the opening frame, and with the score 12-10 approaching the midway point, the Beacons went on a 13-3 run to close the set and take the opener. Sam Warren (Kentland, Ind./South Newton) had four kills during the second half of the frame, while Kois recorded two service aces as part of a 7-0 run to finish the set.
• The Beacons claimed the lead for good in the second set with an early four-point spurt. Valpo pushed its edge to five points at 11-6, and the Racers got no closer than three points the rest of the way. It took the Beacons four set points to finish things out, but a kill from Maddie Moan (Woodstock, Ill./Woodstock [Milwaukee]) eventually closed the frame and gave Valpo a 2-0 lead in the match.
• MSU had a foot in the door in the third set approaching the midway point, as the Racers' latest advantage came at 11-10. A 7-1 run featuring three kills from Ava Helming (Johnston, Iowa/Johnston) turned the tables and gave Valpo a 17-12 lead. The Beacons' lead never fell under three points the rest of the way, and a kill by Claire Campbell (Warrensburg, Ill./Warrenburg-Latham) finished out the sweep.

 
Inside the Match

• Saturday's win was Valpo's 20^th of the season, and as noted in the lede, that is the 19^th time in Avery's 24 years at the helm of the program it has hit the 20-win mark. It is the Beacons' first 20-win campaign since 2022.
• Perhaps more importantly, the sweep of the Racers improved Valpo's MVC record to 11-3. The Beacons maintain a one-game lead over Drake and a two-game lead over UIC for second place. Considering tiebreakers, the combination of one Valpo win or one Drake loss in next week's pair of matches for both squads would secure the second seed and a bye into the MVC Tournament semifinal for the Beacons.
• Hickey continued her march up the NCAA D-I career digs chart on Saturday. Her sixth dig of the evening cracked the top-20 in D-I history, and she finished with a match-high 14 digs, giving her 2,606 for her career — tied for 19^th position.
• Kois posted a .525 setting percentage while handing out 21 assists on Saturday, finishing the night with 2,605 career assists — 10^th-most in program history.
• For the second time in as many matches this year, Warren was absolutely dominant on the attack against the Racers. The senior racked up a match-high 15 kills on .565 hitting, pacing the Beacons in kills for the seventh time this season.
• Warren's fellow right side, Helming also enjoyed another strong match Saturday. Valpo's kill leader on the year, the sophomore posted 13 kills on .385 hitting in the sweep.
• Led by Warren and Helming, the Beacons enjoyed a 50-32 advantage in the kills department over the Racers and hit at a .349 clip, their best mark in MVC play this season.
• Valpo was able to utilize nearly its entire roster in Saturday's sweep, as 17 players saw action — including all six of the Beacons' seniors. We've already touched on Hickey, Kois, and Warren — Campbell tallied three kills on five swings and recorded two blocks, Moan registered five kills on 11 attacks and tied for team-high honors with three blocks and Kendal Ramey (Crawfordsville, Ind./Western Boone) appeared as a serving sub in the third set and picked up a pair of digs.

 
Next Up
Valpo (20-7, 11-3 MVC) closes out the regular season next weekend with a pair of home matches, beginning on Friday when the Beacons host Illinois State at 6 p.m. Tickets are available now at https://tickets.valpoathletics.com/event/valpo-volleyball-vs-illinois-state-epq6qo.