Valparaiso University

The Valpo volleyball team kicked off the 2026 iteration of the Popcorn Classic at the ARC Friday evening, falling in straight sets to visiting Cincinnati (25-21, 25-13, 26-24). Junior Maggie Uhwat (Spring Grove, Ill./Richmond Burton Community [Central Michigan]) posted a career high with 12 kills to lead the Beacons.
 
How It Happened

• It was a slow start for the Beacons, as the Bearcats scored eight of the match's first nine points. A 7-2 Valpo run helped erase much of the deficit, with Uhwat contributing three kills and two service aces during the spurt.
• Valpo was still within 14-10 before Cincinnati reeled off six straight points to pull ahead by double figures. The Beacons did not go down without a fight, forcing a Cincinnati timeout at 24-21 after saving two set points, but out of the break, the visitors closed out the opening frame.
• A 10-1 run early in set two proved decisive as the Bearcats went on to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
• The third set was the tightest of the match, featuring a whopping 13 tie scores. Cincinnati looked to pull away approaching the halfway mark, stretching out to a 12-8 lead before the Beacons came back with three in a row to tighten things up.
• The Bearcats again pulled out to a four-point edge at 21-17, but this time, Valpo responded with four straight — including a kill and a block from Ava Helming (Johnston, Iowa/Johnston) to tie the frame at 21 apiece.
• Five consecutive sideouts ensued, giving Cincinnati match point at 24-23. A sideout on a kill by Jordyn Gove (Amarillo, Texas/Randall) held off the match point and extended the frame, but UC got a kill of its own to earn another match point and closed out the match on a Valpo attack error.

 
Inside the Match

• Cincinnati is the first current Power Four team to play Valpo at the ARC since Iowa was part of the 2013 Popcorn Classic.
• Combined with Michigan being part of this weekend's event, it will be the first time Valpo has hosted two current Power Four programs at the ARC since Syracuse and Purdue both came to town in 2001.
• Uhwat led the Beacons and was one off match-high honors with a career-best 12 kills while also adding a pair of service aces. The junior has reached double figures in kills in three of the season's first four matches.
• Other team highs included 12 assists from Mara Thomas (Bogart, Ga./Athens Academy), eight digs by Gove and three blocks out of the middle from Maddie Steele (Cincinnati, Ohio/Turpin).
• Cincinnati held a 48-34 advantage in the kills department and hit at a .295 clip to Valpo's .159 hitting percentage. The Beacons did hold a slight 4-3 edge in the blocks department.

 
Next Up
Valpo (3-1) continues tournament hosting duties on Saturday. Michigan and Cincinnati will face off at 1 p.m., with the Beacons taking on Oakland at 6 p.m.