Taking on its first mid-week opponent of the season, the Valparaiso University volleyball team fell in three sets (25-8, 25-23, 25-21) at Bowling Green Tuesday evening.

How It Happened

• The Falcons blitzed the Crusaders in the first set, hitting at a .556 clip and scoring 14 of the match’s first 15 points.
• Valpo ran out to a 7-2 lead in the second set, but BGSU came back to lead 9-8 as the teams went on to trade runs throughout the frame. Following a block late in the set, the Crusaders led 22-20 before the Falcons scored five of the final six points to go ahead two sets to none.
• The two squads were tied 17 times in the third set and exchanged the lead on five occasions. The Crusaders led a couple times late, including a 20-19 edge after a BGSU service error, but gave up six of the match’s final seven points as Bowling Green completed the sweep.

Inside the Game

• The Crusaders hit just .091 with 25 kills for the match, while BGSU hit .254 with 43 kills.
• Junior Taylor Graboski (Upper Sandusky, Ohio/Upper Sandusky) led Valpo with seven kills, while sophomore Kayla Currier (Mokena, Ill./Lincoln-Way East) tallied six kills on just nine swings.
• Senior Rachel Bruinsma (New Era, Mich./Western Michigan Christian) paced the Crusaders in the back row with 13 digs, while sophomore Sydney Bronner (Frankenmuth, Mich./Frankenmuth) was in on four of the Crusaders’ six team blocks.

Next Up

The Crusaders (6-5) play their final in-season tournament of the year this weekend at the Ball State Active Ankle Challenge. The tournament kicks off Friday, Sept. 16 as Valpo faces #19 Ohio State and the host Cardinals. The match against BSU will be broadcast live on ESPN3, WatchESPN and the ESPN app, while both matches will have live stats available via ValpoAthletics.com.