Valparaiso University

The Valpo volleyball team came up with the big points late in all three sets at the ARC Friday evening against Murray State to come away with a 3-0 (25-23, 25-23, 25-21) sweep of the Racers, earning its third straight home victory and completing a perfect weekend of MVC play. It was an emotional night at the ARC, as the match was played in honor of Justin Hunt, celebrating the life and legacy of the Valparaiso University employee and Athletics and volleyball supporter who passed away last month.
 
How It Happened

• Valpo led by as many as four points in the first half of set one before the Racers rallied to take a 15-14 lead at the media timeout.
• The Beacons scored three straight out of the stoppage and never trailed again, but it was tight late, as three straight MSU points turned a 22-19 Valpo lead into a 22-22 tie. The two sides traded sideouts to make it 23-23 before Valpo earned set point on a kill from Jordyn Gove (Amarillo, Texas/Randall). The Beacons converted on their first chance thanks to a kill by Ava Helming (Johnston, Iowa/Johnston) to take the 1-0 lead in the match.
• Valpo jumped out to a 6-2 lead in the second set before the Racers rallied to tie the frame at 8-8 and 9-9. The Beacons scored three straight and led the rest of the way, but the lead never got to a comfortable point.
• The Beacons earned set point at 24-21, but MSU scored the next two to move within one point of extending the frame to extra points. But on its third chance to go up 2-0 in the match, Valpo got a kill from Gove to close out the set.
• It was all Valpo early in the third set, as the advantage quickly jumped to 10-2. The Beacons' lead was still six points at 19-13, but a 7-2 spurt from the Racers once again tightened things up as they made it a one-point frame.
• After the teams traded sideouts, Sarah Pippin (Niles, Mich./Edwardsburg) came up with a kill to move within two points of the sweep, and Gove followed with a kill of her own to give Valpo match point. It took just one opportunity to finish things off, as Gove combined with Jessica Pickett (Carmel, Ind./Carmel) on a rejection to end the match.

 
Inside the Match

• It was a pair of familiar faces leading the Beacons' attack, as Helming finished with a team-high 14 kills on .355 hitting and Gove posted 13 kills.
• Friday was the 15^th time this year Helming has reached double figures in kills, while Gove posted at least 10 kills for the 14^th time.
• Pippin nearly joined the pair of juniors in double digits, matching her season high in kills for a second straight night with nine kills on .400 hitting.
• As a whole, Valpo owned a 49-42 advantage over the Racers in the kills department and hit at a .310 clip, the team's second-best hitting percentage of the season. That mark included a .438 hitting percentage in the third set, as the Beacons closed the match by registering 18 kills on just 32 swings in the last frame.
• Murray State recorded just two team blocks, the season low by a Valpo opponent.
• Mia McCall (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles North) paced the Beacons with 22 assists and posted a .500 setting percentage, while Mara Thomas (Bogart, Ga./Athens Academy) registered 18 assists.
• Holding down the libero spot for a second straight evening, Keira Lucas (Brazil, Ind./Northview) led all players with 14 digs.
• While their opportunities to contribute on the attack were limited, Valpo's middles stepped up when called upon. Pickett had five kills on just seven swings and led all players with four blocks. Meanwhile, Kyla Bellich (Thomson, Ill./Prince of Peace Catholic) tallied four kills on seven swings and a pair of blocks one night after making her collegiate debut.
• Friday's win was Valpo's first sweep in Valley play this year. The Beacons improved to 4-1 on the season in three-set matches.
• It was the fourth time in eight meetings with Murray State since the Racers joined the Valley that Valpo has earned a 3-0 win.

 
Next Up
Valpo (11-7, 3-3 MVC) has the challenging Iowa road trip on the docket for next weekend, starting with a Friday evening match at 6 p.m. at defending champion UNI.