The Valpo volleyball team’s quest to sweep the regular season series from both MVC in-state foes came up one step short on Saturday in Terre Haute, as host Indiana State came away with a 3-1 (25-23, 22-25, 25-20, 25-20) victory.

How It Happened

• A four-point spurt midway through set one turned a 10-9 Valpo lead into a 13-10 Indiana State advantage, a lead the Sycamores would not cede in taking the opener. Valpo successfully held off three ISU set point chances after the score was 24-20, but ISU converted the fourth to close out the set.
• Valpo took the lead for good in the second set with a 5-1 run mid-set, pulling ahead by a 14-11 score. The Sycamores closed to within one at 17-16, but the Beacons responded with five straight points — including the first career service ace for freshman Abby Boyle (Byron Center, Mich./Byron Center) — to go up 22-16.
• Indiana State crept to within two points late at 24-22 after successfully holding off two Valpo set point opportunities before a kill from senior Haley Hart (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln-Way East) evened the match at one set apiece.
• Valpo and Indiana State were tied at 15-15 in set three before the Sycamores reeled off eight straight points to take control of the frame and eventually go ahead in the match, 2-1.
• Valpo jumped out to a quick 7-2 lead in set four in its attempt to extend the match. The Beacons still led by four points at 12-8, but Indiana State erased the advantage and flipped the script with 11 points in a row.
• Valpo battled back from the seven-point deficit to close to within three points three times down the stretch, but could get no closer as the Sycamores successfully defended their home court.

Inside the Match

• Saturday’s defeat snapped a three-match winning streak for Valpo.
• Despite falling to the Sycamores, Valpo still ends the weekend in fourth place in the MVC standings.
• Hart paced the Beacons on Saturday with 11 kills, while junior Kara Cooper (LaPorte, Ind./LaPorte) added nine kills and four blocks.
• Sophomore setter Victoria Bulmahn (McCordsville, Ind./Mt. Vernon) recorded 24 assists to lead all players and Brittany Anderson (East Chicago, Ind./Bishop Noll) added 17 helpers.
• Fifth-year libero Rylee Cookerly (Brownsburg, Ind./Brownsburg) led Valpo’s effort in the back row with 18 digs, pushing her career total to 2,945 digs. Junior Bella Ravotto (Mishawaka, Ind./Marian) and freshman Elise Swistek (LaPorte, Ind./New Prairie) added 16 and 15 digs, respectively.
• Fifth-year middle Peyton McCarthy (Cincinnati, Ohio/Seton) tied her season high with eight blocks, four of which were solo stuffs.
• As a team, Valpo hit a season-worst .041 on Saturday, committing 39 attack errors — 19 of which were Sycamore blocks.

Next Up

Valpo (16-7, 7-5 MVC) will have an opportunity to rebound from the defeat in short order, returning home to the ARC to host UNI on Monday evening at 6 p.m. The match can be seen live on ESPN3.