Valparaiso (11-9, 10-8 MVC)
at MVC Championship (Normal, Ill.)
Thursday, April 1 - vs. Bradley (12-6, 12-6 MVC) - 2 p.m.
Friday, April 2 - vs. Illinois State/Indiana State - 2 p.m.
Saturday, April 3 - MVC Championship Match - 5 p.m.

This Week in Valpo Volleyball: The Valpo volleyball team looks to bring home the spring 2021 Missouri Valley Conference title this week, as the Brown and Gold head to the MVC Championship in Normal, Ill. Valpo enters the tournament as the fifth seed in the eight-team field and will open tournament action Thursday afternoon against fourth-seeded Bradley.

Previously: Valpo concluded the regular season last weekend with a split of its two-match series at Evansville, falling to the Purple Aces in straight sets on Saturday before rebounding with a four-set victory in the regular season finale.

Looking Ahead: The winner of the MVC Championship earns the Valley’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Following the Action: Every match of the MVC Championship will be broadcast live on ESPN+. Live stats for all of Valpo’s matches will also be available via ValpoAthletics.com.

Head Coach Carin Avery: In her 19th season as head coach at Valparaiso, Carin Avery has won 423 matches (423-207, .671) at the helm of the Brown and Gold and has led Valpo to three league regular season and tournament titles, as well as three NCAA Tournament appearances. A two-time league Coach of the Year, Avery has coached 61 All-League recipients over her tenure at Valpo. She is Valpo’s all-time leader in both victories and winning percentage, and owns a 478-231 (.674) record overall as a head coach.

Series History: Bradley - 12-11 overall; 8-4 under Coach Avery; 5-4 since joining MVC; Valpo won 3-0 on March 7, BU won 3-1 on March 8 [at Valpo]
Illinois State - 3-10 overall; 3-10 under Coach Avery; 1-8 since joining MVC; ILS won 3-1 on Feb. 21, Valpo won 3-2 on Feb. 22 [at ILS]
Indiana State - 15-15 overall; 10-4 under Coach Avery; 5-3 since joining MVC; Valpo won 3-0 on March 21, INS won 3-1 on March 22 [at Valpo]
Drake - 10-4 overall; 9-3 under Coach Avery; 6-2 since joining MVC; Valpo won 3-1 on Feb. 28, Valpo won 3-2 on March 1 [at Drake]
UNI - 2-14 overall; 2-7 under Coach Avery; 2-7 since joining MVC; Valpo won 3-2 on March 14, Valpo won 3-0 on March 15 [at Valpo]
Missouri State - 3-8 overall; 3-7 under Coach Avery; 3-6 since joining MVC; MSU won 3-1 on Feb. 7, MSU won 3-2 on Feb. 8 [at MSU]
Loyola - 20-30 overall; 17-8 under Coach Avery; 5-3 since joining MVC; LUC won 3-2 on Jan. 25 [at LUC], Valpo won 3-1 on Feb. 1 [at Valpo]

Valpo In The Postseason: In 15 of head coach Carin Avery’s 18 seasons, Valpo has advanced to at least its conference tournament semifinal match. Valpo is 2-3 in its first three years as an MVC member in the conference tournament and advanced to the semifinals last season with a win over Bradley before falling to UNI. In 10 years in the Horizon League, Valpo was 11-10 in the HL Tournament and advanced to the semifinals nine times - including four berths in the title match. Prior to that, Valpo went 7-2 in its final five years in the Mid-Continent Conference in the Mid-Con Tournament, winning three tournament titles.

Outperforming the Preseason Poll: For the fourth time in as many seasons as an MVC member, Valpo outperformed its preseason pick in the coaches poll. This year marks the second straight year the Brown and Gold finished in fifth place after being projected seventh in the preseason, as the 2019 squad enjoyed the same finish. In 2018, Valpo closed the regular season in fourth position after being picked fifth in the preseason. Valpo was picked seventh in its first season as a conference member in 2017 before finishing in a tie for fifth place.

Another Top Half Finish: Valpo’s split of its final series of the regular season at Evansville ensured it of not only a winning record in conference play, but a top-half finish in the MVC standings, as the Brown and Gold closed the regular season in fifth position. Valpo has now finished in fifth or better each of its four years in the Valley, joining Illinois State as the other two programs who have finished in the top half each of the last four years. Going back further, Valpo has enjoyed a top-half finish in its league standings in 27 of the last 28 seasons.

Looking Back at 2019: Valpo finished the 2019 campaign with a 14-20 overall record and posted an 8-10 mark in MVC play to finish the regular season in fifth place in the conference standings, outperforming its preseason poll rank for a third straight year. The Brown and Gold advanced to the MVC semifinals for the second consecutive season. Rylee Cookerly was tabbed the MVC Libero of the Year and an AVCA Honorable Mention All-Region honoree and was joined by Peyton McCarthy as a First Team All-MVC member - giving Valpo multiple First Team All-MVC choices for the first time as an MVC program..

Digging Deep: Valpo has continued its long tradition of strong back row play this spring, entering the MVC Championship ranked third nationally and second in the Valley with 20.37 digs/set. The Brown and Gold have ranked among the top-30 nationally in digs/set in each of the last 10 seasons, including leading the nation with 20.03 digs/set in 2017 to go along with a fourth-place rank in 2010 and a sixth-place finish in 2015. 2018 saw Valpo lead the nation in a digs category as well, as it posted 2,613 total digs - a mark which not only ranked first nationally for total digs, but also set a program single-season record and a Division I record in the 25-point era.

Raking In Players of the Week: Valpo has racked up seven Player of the Week honors from the MVC office this season, with four different players receiving at least one award.
February 3 - Rylee Cookerly - Defensive Player of the Week - 5.71 digs/set, 33 serve receptions w/o error vs. Butler and Loyola
February 3 - Victoria Bulmahn - Freshman of the Week - 11.43 assists/set, 2.86 digs/set vs. Butler and Loyola
February 23 - Rylee Cookerly - Defensive Player of the Week - 6.79 digs/set, 40 digs at #13 Notre Dame, 32 digs in five-set win at Illinois State
March 2 - Bella Ravotto - Defensive Player of the Week - 6.22 digs/set in first career matches at libero at Drake
March 2 - Victoria Bulmahn - Freshman of the Week - 11.89 assists/set, 5.22 digs/set at Drake
March 23 - Victoria Bulmahn - Freshman of the Week - 11.14 assists/set, 5.14 digs/set vs. Indiana State
March 30 - Peyton McCarthy - Defensive Player of the Week - 1.71 blocks/set at Evansville

A Program First: Valpo earned its first-ever wins over UNI earlier this season, as the Panthers had owned a 14-0 record in the all-time series, which included a 1995 NCAA Tournament play-in match and eight meetings in Valpo’s first three years in the MVC. The Monday win over the Panthers was especially notable, as it was the first three-set win by an MVC program over UNI in regular season conference play since November 2017. Valpo also beat Illinois State earlier this year for its first MVC win over the Redbirds, meaning that the Brown and Gold have now beaten every Valley team at least once since joining the conference.

What A Comeback It Was: Valpo volleyball fans hadn’t seen the type of comeback that the Brown and Gold put forth in the Monday match at Drake in quite some time. Valpo held off four Drake match points in the fourth set before eventually earning the win, the first time since September 2010 versus EKU it had won a match where it stared down four match points. In fact, the last time Valpo won a match where it was on the wrong end of even just one match point opportunity previous to the win over the Bulldogs came in October 2013.

A Record-Setting Performance: The story of that come-from-behind win at Drake was the Valpo back-row defense. The 134 digs Valpo totaled set a program record for not just the 25-point era but any rally-scoring match, besting the mark of 129 set against Wright State in October 2016. The 134-dig mark is also fourth-most across all eras in program history and is the most in a single match since September 1994. No NCAA D-I team has bettered 134 digs in a single match since Missouri State did so at Drake in October 2017.

Dominant Close to the Match: Never before in the rally scoring era had Valpo delivered as crushing a fifth-set victory as it did in the Monday win at Illinois State. Valpo finished the match with a 15-2 win in set five to earn its first win over the Redbirds since joining the MVC. The defense got the job done in the final frame, as ISU hit -.438 and committed eight attack errors - four of which were Valpo blocks. Valpo previously owned two fifth-set wins in the rally scoring era by 15-3 finals.

Cookerly Continues to Dig: It’s been another stellar season in the back row for senior libero Rylee Cookerly. Cookerly enters the MVC Championship atop the conference and ranked 10th nationally with 5.78 digs/set. She has been in double figures in digs in each of the 18 matches she has played in, including 12 efforts of 20+ digs and four outings with 30 or more - highlighted by a 40-dig performance in an upset bid at #13 Notre Dame. With 2,514 career digs, Cookerly is the D-I active career leader in the category by over 400 digs. She enters tournament play second in program history and third in Valley history in career digs, and will enter the top-15 in NCAA history this weekend.

Bulmahn Sets Things Up: Freshman setter Victoria Bulmahn has looked like an old pro running the Valpo offense this spring. Bulmahn currently leads the Valley and ranks 24th nationally with 10.84 assists/set, second-most among all D-I freshmen. Valpo’s offense has averaged 13.22 kills/set in MVC play this spring, its highest total since joining the conference. Also strong in the back row, Bulmahn ranks second on the team and 12th in the MVC with 3.57 digs/set and has been in double figures in digs 14 times.

A Big Senior Year: Senior outside Jaclyn Bulmahn has enjoyed by far her best season in her time in the Valpo uniform this spring playing alongside her sister. Bulmahn leads Valpo with 3.05 kills/set - nearly a full kill per set higher than her 2019 average - and enters the tournament ranked seventh in the Valley with a .264 hitting percentage. She has reached double figures in kills 12 times and has hit .400 or better on five occasions. Bulmahn has led Valpo in the kills category nine times this spring, highlighted by a 23-kill effort against Southern Illinois and a 20-kill performance in a sweep of Indiana State - tying Valpo’s record for most kills in a three-set match in the 25-point era.

Balanced Offense: While Bulmahn has led the way offensively, she has not had to shoulder an onerous load on the attack, as on any given day, any of Valpo’s four primary attackers can step up and lead the offense. All four are averaging at least 2.30 kills/set, with three of the four hitting .240 or better. Junior outside Jillie Grant is averaging 2.83 kills/set, has been in double figures in kills 12 times and has led Valpo on five occasions. Grant has also reached 10 or more digs 16 times and owns 12 double-doubles. Junior middle Haley Hart has tallied 2.55 kills/set on .263 hitting, good for eigthh among MVC players. Hart has posted 10+ kills 13 times and has led Valpo in the category in three matches while also averaging 0.94 blocks/set. Finally, senior middle Peyton McCarthy hits .240 with 2.30 kills/set, has nine matches with 10+ kills and has led Valpo five times while also averaging 0.87 blocks/set.

Champions in the Classroom: Valpo had multiple players honored as the Valley unveiled its Scholar-Athlete Teams this week, highlighted by the selection of Rylee Cookerly as the conference’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Beyond her exploits on the court, Cookerly carries a 3.97 GPA as a nursing major, is a three-time Scholar-Athlete First Team honoree and has twice earned First Team Academic All-District recognition. Jillie Grant joined Cookerly as a Scholar Athlete First Team choice, as she owns a 3.83 GPA as an accounting and marketing double major. As a whole, the program prides itself on its success in the classroom, as Valpo has earned the AVCA Team Academic Award in 15 of the last 17 seasons.