Valparaiso University

It had been over 18 years since a Valpo volleyball player posted as many kills in a match as Ava Helming (Johnston, Iowa/Johnston) did on Friday evening, and every one of them proved vital as the career-high effort from the junior helped lead the Beacons to a come-from-behind 3-2 (27-25, 19-25, 22-25, 25-18, 15-10) win at Cleveland State.
 
How It Happened

• After claiming set four to win a fifth set, Valpo put together the first mini-spurt of the decisive frame, as Helming, Maggie Uhwat (Spring Grove, Ill./Richmond Burton Community [Central Michigan]) and Jessica Pickett (Carmel, Ind./Carmel) put together consecutive kills to give the Beacons a 5-3 lead.
• Valpo maintained a slight lead until the halfway point, when the Vikings tied things up at 8-8. A 'Sliding Doors' moment in the match ensued, as a near 30-second long rally went Valpo's way when Helming and Maddie Steele (Cincinnati, Ohio/Turpin) teamed up for a rejection to regain the lead.
• CSU took its second timeout of the set right after the point, but Valpo maintained the momentum out of the stoppage, getting back-to-back blocks by Steele and Uhwat to extend its lead. After a CSU point made it 11-9, Uhwat came up with consecutive kills to further extend the advantage, and when the Beacons earned their first match point at 14-10, it was again Uhwat with the termination to finish things.
• It was a long and winding road to the fifth set Friday. The opening frame played out much like Thursday's first set did, with Valpo seeing its opponent erase a large deficit late. This time, the Vikings took a 20-11 Valpo lead and rallied to tie it up at 22-22.
• The Beacons had a set point chance at 24-23, but Cleveland State turned it away and earned a set point of its own at 25-24. Unlike Thursday, however, Valpo came up with the key points late in the opener, as Jordyn Gove (Amarillo, Texas/Randall) sandwiched a Helming kill with two kills of her own to give Valpo the first frame.
• A 6-1 run by the Vikings midway through the second set proved vital, turning an 11-10 Valpo lead into a 16-12 deficit. CSU held at least a three point lead the remainder of the frame to even the match.
• It was the Beacons' turn to wipe out a large deficit in the third set, as after trailing 17-7, they scored 15 of the next 21 points to close to within 23-22. Valpo was unable to tie the set, however, as back-to-back CSU kills gave the Vikings a 2-1 lead in the match.
• Valpo led from the outset in set four, but did face a CSU rally to tie the frame at 15-15 just after the technical timeout. The Beacons came away with the next four points, including a kill and a block by Pickett, to gain some breathing room and pulled away from there to force the decisive fifth set.

 
Inside the Match

• Helming terminated time and time again from the right side on Friday, setting a career best with 28 kills on .357 hitting.
• The 28 kills match the most by a Valpo player in the 25-point era, tying Angie Porché, who recorded 28 kills against Wake Forest Sept. 6, 2008.
• Helming's 28 kills rank joint sixth across all eras in program history. The only Valpo players who have registered more than 28 kills in a match are Nicole Schulz (twice), Porché, Kathy Harrison and Kelly Schoenhoft.
• Helming surpassed her previous career best in kills for the third straight weekend, as she raced past her previous high of 24 from last weekend's win over Oakland. The junior has reached the 20-kill mark six times in her career.
• Given her prolificacy on the night, it's perhaps counter-intuitive that Helming was only responsible for two kills in the decisive fifth set. Uhwat proved to be the big force in that final frame, as after she racked up just five kills and hit negative over the first four sets, the junior posted five kills on .400 hitting in the fifth set.
• Gove finished the night with 15 kills on .333 hitting and added 13 digs for her sixth double-double of the season. Pickett needed just 16 swings to add eight kills and did not commit an attack error, finishing the match hitting .500.
• Pickett also tied for team-high honors defensively at the net, as both her and Steele finished the win with five blocks.
• Olivia Wagner (Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville South) led the Beacons with 28 assists, while Mara Thomas (Bogart, Ga./Athens Academy) added 24 helpers.
• Rylee Bumgardner (Danville, Ind./Danville) had her highest output of the season in the back row, racking up 17 digs.
• Valpo earned its second win in as many five-set matches this season, both of which have come with the Beacons trailing 2-1 after the third frame.
• The victory was the second for Valpo in as many matchups with Cleveland State in this tournament, as Valpo prevailed 3-1 in 2022.

 
Next Up
Valpo (5-3) closes out action from northeastern Ohio Saturday morning as it plays at Akron at 10 a.m. CT.