The Valpo volleyball team split a pair of matches on the first day of the 2025 season at the USI Invitational in Evansville, Ind., opening the campaign with a 3-0 (25-21, 25-21, 25-19) sweep of the host Screaming Eagles before falling 3-2 (19-25, 25-23, 25-18, 21-25, 15-5) to Northern Kentucky.
 
How It Happened – USI

• Valpo narrowly trailed for much of the first set before a late 6-0 run, which featured three kills from sophomore Ava Helming (Johnston, Iowa/Johnston), turned a 19-17 deficit into a 23-19 lead.
• The Beacons traded points from there to claim the opener, with each of their last three points coming on Helming kills as she tallied nine terminations in the first set and led Valpo to a .405 hitting percentage in the opening frame.
• It was a battle for control of the second set until just past the midway point, when a 4-0 spurt — including kills by Helming and sophomore Kadence Brumitt (Niles, Mich./Brandywine) — gave Valpo an 18-14 edge.
• The Beacons led by as many as six points in the late stages of the set, and while USI got back to within three, Valpo held the hosts off to take a 2-0 lead into the mid-match break.
• Valpo led from the jump in set three, never trailing in the set. The Beacons' lead grew to 18-11 approaching the late stages, and while the Screaming Eagles rattled off four points in a row to cut the edge to three points, Valpo kept USI from stringing together consecutive points the rest of the way to close out the sweep.

 
How It Happened – NKU

• Valpo took control of the opening set with an early 7-0 run — featuring two kills by senior Sam Warren (Kentland, Ind./South Newton) and a pair of aces from sophomore Jordyn Gove (Amarillo, Texas/Randall) — to lead 13-7. The advantage didn't full under four points the rest of the way as the Beacons took the early lead.
• The Beacons led for much of the second set as well and held a 21-19 advantage late, but NKU scored the next four to jump in front, 23-21, and while Valpo scored two in a row to briefly tie it up at 23-all, the Norse answered with consecutive points to level the match.
• A 7-1 run in favor of the Norse in the middle of the third set gave NKU a 17-12 lead. Valpo rallied to within 20-18 late, but five straight points for NKU gave it a 2-1 edge in the match.
• It was all Valpo to start the fourth frame in an attempt to extend the contest, as the Beacons jumped out to a 9-2 lead. The Norse rallied to within one point on a number of occasions later in the set, but Valpo kept NKU from evening the score and back-to-back solo blocks from sophomore Jessica Pickett (Carmel, Ind./Carmel) in the late stages gave the Beacons breathing room as they forced a decisive fifth frame.
• The fifth set went NKU's way, however. It was an 8-2 start for the Norse, and while Valpo scored three in a row to cut the deficit to three points, the next seven points went NKU's way to close out the match.

 
Inside the Matches

• Senior Addy Kois (Osceola, Ind./Penn) surpassed the 2,000-assist mark for her career with her 15^th assist in the season opener. Kois paced Valpo in both matches, dishing out 23 assists against USI and 25 versus Northern Kentucky.
• Through two seasons in a Beacon uniform, Helming sure seems to enjoy season openers. After tallying 20 kills in her collegiate debut in last season's opener, the sophomore posted a team-high 14 kills on .480 hitting — her highest career hitting percentage with at least 10 kills — in Friday's win over USI.
• Helming also paced the Beacons in the NKU match with 12 kills.
• Warren enjoyed success from the right side as well Friday, hitting .500 with seven kills in the win over USI and following that up with 10 kills against NKU.
• Gove dished out three service aces to match her career high in the USI win, while Brumitt doubled her previous best with four aces against NKU.
• Emma Hickey (Granger, Ind./Penn) led all players in the digs category in both matches Friday, posting 14 in the win over USI and following with 33 against NKU — the 14^th time in her career she's reached 30 or more digs in a match.
• Pickett tied for team-high honors with three blocks in the opening win and then paced the Beacons with eight blocks versus NKU as Valpo finished with 14 team blocks in the latter match.
• It was a tale of two matches on the attack for Valpo Friday. The Beacons hit .288 in the win over USI — its best hitting percentage since Sept. 20, 2024 versus Presbyterian — but followed that up with an .058 hitting percentage against NKU, as the Norse recorded 22 blocks and Valpo finished with 40 attack errors.

 
Next Up
Valpo (1-1) looks to close the weekend on a winning note Saturday morning, as the Beacons close tournament action against Saint Louis at 11 a.m.