The Valparaiso University volleyball team will come home to the ARC on a two-match winning streak, as the Crusaders closed out action at this weekend’s Trojan Invitational in Troy, Ala. with a 3-1 (25-15, 25-18, 18-25, 25-21) win Saturday afternoon over Austin Peay.

How It Happened

• The Crusaders tallied five blocks and held the Governors to -.053 hitting in the first set, leading nearly start to finish in taking the early lead.
• Valpo pulled away late in the second set, as after APSU closed to within 19-17, the Crusaders scored six of the final seven points to go ahead by two sets.
• The Crusaders were unable to slow the Austin Peay offense in the third set, as the Governors hit .442 with 21 kills to force the match to a fourth frame.
• But it was the Valpo offense which got the job done in the fourth set. The Crusaders hit .387 in the final frame and used a 5-1 spurt after being tied 11-11 to take control.

Inside the Game

• The Crusaders totaled 14 team blocks in Saturday’s win, matching their season high and the most by the team in a single match since Oct. 17, 2014.
• Senior Emily Campbell (Grand Rapids, Mich./Forest Hills Central) led the way with a career-high seven blocks, while sophomores Kayla Currier (Mokena, Ill./Lincoln-Way East) and Sydney Bronner (Frankenmuth, Mich./Frankenmuth) posted six blocks apiece.
• Offensively, the Crusaders also enjoyed their strongest match of the early season, posting 53 kills against just 14 attack errors to hit a season-best .281.
• Campbell also led all players with a season-best 18 kills. Sophomore Katherine Carlson (Lake Orion, Mich./Notre Dame Prep) added 13kills and also posted 10 digs for a double-double.
• For the fourth consecutive match day, sophomore setter Lizzie Zaleski (Oak Lawn, Ill./Marist) set a new career best for assists, handing out 38 on Saturday. She also tallied four kills on just six swings and recorded a new career high with 13 digs as well.
• Senior Morganne Longoria (Burlington, Wis./Burlington) led all players in the back row with 20 digs.
• The win was the 398th in the career of head coach Carin Avery, leaving her just two shy of the 400-win milestone.

Next Up

The Crusaders (4-2) return home next weekend to host the Popcorn Classic at the ARC Sept. 9-10. Valpo welcomes SE Missouri State, Central Michigan, South Dakota State and Duquesne for the two-day, eight-match event. Live video of all Valpo matches will be available on ESPN3, WatchESPN and the ESPN app, while live stats will be available for all tournament matches.