Making its sole appearance at the ARC in a stretch of seven out of eight matches on the road, the Valpo volleyball team dropped a five-set match (25-22, 4-25, 25-23, 21-25, 13-15) to visiting Indiana State Saturday evening.
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How It Happened
- Indiana State jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead in the decisive fifth set. The Beacons scored the next three to cut the deficit to one, but the Sycamores responded by scoring four of the next five points and led by as many as five points, the latest coming at 12-7.
- Valpo wasn't done yet, scoring five in a row to even the set at 12-12. The run started with a Keira Lucas (Brazil, Ind./Northview) libero kill on a scramble point, featured a block from Kyla Bellich (Thomson, Ill./Prince of Peace Catholic) and Jordyn Gove (Amarillo, Texas/Randall) and was capped by a Gove kill as the entire match became a run to three.
- The next point proved key, as Valpo was originally awarded the point on a net violation by Indiana State. The Sycamores challenged the point, and upon review, the call was overturned to a Beacon net violation. Indiana State scored the next point as well to earn match point at 14-12, and while Gove came through with a kill to keep hope alive, the Sycamores got a kill of their own on their second match point.
- Valpo's lone lead of the opening set came after a mid-set run put it ahead 15-14 at the media timeout. ISU scored the next three to regain the lead and extended its lead out to 22-17, and while the Beacons closed to within 23-22 late, the Sycamores came up with back-to-back points to take the opener.
- The second set was all Valpo, as the Beacons racked up 11 kills on just 14 swings and had five service aces while the Sycamores committed nine attack errors. Trailing 3-2, Valpo went on a 6-0 run on the serve of Ava Helming (Johnston, Iowa/Johnston), and after an ISU sideout, closed out the set on a 17-0 run on the serve of Maggie Uhwat (Spring Grove, Ill./Richmond Burton Community [Central Michigan]).
- ISU led throughout the first half of the third set, with Valpo's first advantage coming after a 5-0 run gave it an 18-16 lead. The Beacons were unable to pull away, and the Sycamores tied the frame up at 23-23 late. But an ISU service error gave Valpo set point, and Helming combined with Maddie Steele (Cincinnati, Ohio/Turpin) on a block to give the Beacons the 2-1 lead in the match.
- A five-point run in set four turned a 7-7 tie into a 12-7 Indiana State lead, and the Sycamores held the edge the rest of the way to force the decisive fifth set.
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Inside the Match
- Helming registered 15 kills, reaching double figures for the 18th time this season and for the 10th straight match. The junior also had three service aces.
- Jessica Pickett (Carmel, Ind./Carmel) set a career best with 14 kills and hit at a stellar .522 clip while also pacing the Beacons at the net with four blocks.
- Gove finished with 10 kills and tied for match-high honors with 14 digs for her 13th double-double of the season.
- Uhwat delivered four service aces, one shy of her carer best, to push her season total to 36 — fifth-most by a Valpo player in the 25-point era.
- Olivia Wagner (Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville South) racked up 30 assists and posted a .484 setting percentage.
- Lucas matched Gove with 14 digs to lead all players, while Rylee Bumgardner (Danville, Ind./Danville) hit double digits in the category for the 12th time this year with 10 digs.
- While the teams both racked up 53 kills, Valpo ended the night with a .223-.117 advantage in hitting percentage. The Beacons also led in the digs column, 65-57.
- The four points Valpo surrendered in the second set was the fewest the program has given up in a single frame (outside the fifth set) since the move to 25-point scoring. Uhwat served 16 consecutive points to close that set, a mark which according to the NCAA Record Book is tied for 10th-most consecutive points served in D-I history.
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Next Up
Valpo (11-11, 3-7 MVC) returns to the road life next week, making the trip to central Illinois beginning on Friday evening at Illinois State.
