A pair of Valpo volleyball players earned spots on the All-Tournament Team at the EMU Tournament, as Ava Helming (Johnston, Iowa/Johnston) and Lilly Merk (Terre Haute, Ind./Terre Haute South Vigo) represented the Beacons thanks to their strong performances over the three tournament matches.
 
Helming averaged a team-best 3.27 kills/set on .329 hitting for the tournament. Her week was highlighted by an astounding performance on the attack in the sweep of Purdue Fort Wayne, as she posted 12 kills on just 17 swings with no errors — her .706 hitting percentage good for fourth-best by a Valpo player in a three-set match in the 25-point era. Helming closed the tournament with a team-high and season-high 15 kills against the host Eagles.
 
Merk was efficient on the attack for a second straight weekend, hitting .358 with 2.27 kills/set, and was strong defensively as well, recording 1.18 blocks/set. The sophomore hit .538, posting eight kills on just 13 swings, in the sweep of Purdue Fort Wayne while tallying four blocks as well. She followed with a match-high 12 kills against Niagara, tying her career best, and also picked up five blocks in the winning effort.
 
Helming earned All-Tournament honors for the second time in as many weekends to open the 2025 season and now has three All-Tournament Team awards in her career. Meanwhile, Merk received the first All-Tournament accolade of her career.