The Valparaiso University volleyball team hardly took a misstep on the attack Friday evening in a Horizon League matchup with Youngstown State at the ARC as the Crusaders rolled to a 3-0 (25-16, 25-14, 25-13) sweep of the Penguins. With the win, Valpo improved to 24-7 overall and 10-4 in league play, securing the third seed for the upcoming Horizon League Championship.
The Crusaders posted their second-best single-match hitting percentage of the year on Friday in the three-set win, swinging at a .357 clip for the match. In addition, Valpo committed just seven attack errors over the three sets, matching the fewest attack errors in a match by a Crusader squad since September of 2012.
Contributions came from up and down the lineup on Friday, as all 14 Crusaders saw action in the sweep. Redshirt freshman Kayla Currier (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln-Way East) and sophomore Taylor Graboski (Upper Sandusky, Ohio/Upper Sandusky) each hit a team-high .500 for the match. Currier tied junior Emily Campbell (Grand Rapids, Mich./Forest Hills Central) for match-high honors with nine kills, while Graboski posted seven kills without an error. Coming off the bench in set three, ajunior Jamie Lacheta (Warsaw, Ind./Warsaw) was perfect, tallying kills on all four of her swings.
Senior Kelsey Berrington (Britton, Mich./Tecumseh) posted a double-double in her penultimate match on the home court at the ARC, handing out 24 assists and picking up 10 digs, while even closing the match with a kill while playing right side hitter. Junior Morganne Longoria (Burlington, Wis./Burlington) picked up a match-best 19 digs in the back row, while sophomore Allison Ketcham (Mishawaka, Ind./Marian) added 11 digs as well.
Valpo limited Youngstown State (9-21, 3-12 Horizon) to just .105 hitting for the match as the Penguins committed 20 attack errors. YSU led just twice in the match – 2-0 in the opening set and 1-0 in the third set. The Penguins were led by seven kills each from Aly Ryan and Sarah Varcolla, while Val Jeffrey handed out 28 assists.
Valparaiso (24-7, 10-4) will look to close out its home slate on a high note Saturday afternoon on Senior Day as the Crusaders host regular season champion Cleveland State at 4 p.m. Berrington will be honored in a post-match ceremony. The match can be seen live on ESPN3.com and heard live on WVUR, with links for the live video, audio and statistics available via ValpoAthletics.com.
