Volleyball Falls at MVC-Leading UNI
Â
The Valpo volleyball team played point for point in the opening set on the home court of a UNI squad which is undefeated in MVC play this season, but the hosts edged out the Beacons on their way to a 3-0 (25-23, 25-17, 25-11) victory.
How It Happened
–Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Valpo led 11-9 approaching the midway point of the first set before a 9-3 run for the Panthers gave them a four-point edge at 18-14.
–         UNI’s lead was still three at 21-18, but Valpo scored five of the next six points — including two kills from senior Elise Swistek (LaPorte, Ind./New Prairie) and a kill and an ace by freshman Jordyn Gove (Amarillo, Texas/Randall) — to move within two points of claiming the opener with a 23-22 lead.
–Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Kills from three different players allowed the Panthers to close the set on a 3-0 run and claim the opener.
–Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Valpo led by three points multiple times in the first half of the second set and was still in front by two at 11-9 before UNI reeled off an 11-2 run to turn the tables on its way to taking a 2-0 lead in the match.
–Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â The Panthers never trailed in the third set and went on a big run early in the frame on their way to staying unbeaten in Valley action.
Inside the Match
–         UNI ended the night with a 55-31 advantage in kills. The Beacons hit at a .184 clip for the match, but the Panthers swung at a .371 clip — a season best for a Valpo opponent.
–Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Swistek was the only Beacon to reach double figures in kills, pacing the squad with 11 terminations. The senior now has 960 career kills, putting her in position to challenge the 1,000-kill milestone over the coming weeks.
–         Junior Emma Hickey (Granger, Ind./Penn) tied for match-high honors with 17 digs, moving her career total to 1,954 digs — just four shy of fifth-most in program history.
Next Up
Valpo (15-12, 7-8 MVC) will enjoy the friendly confines of the ARC for its final three regular season matches, starting next Friday at 6 p.m. against Indiana State.
