The Valpo volleyball team finished out its first weekend of action in 2024 in winning fashion, easily handling host IU Indianapolis in a 3-0 (25-17, 25-15, 25-19) sweep Sunday afternoon to close the Hampton Inn Invitational.

How It Happened

• The Beacons jumped out to a 9-3 lead in the opening set, a stretch which included service aces from senior Elise Swistek (LaPorte, Ind./New Prairie) and junior Addy Kois (Osceola, Ind./Penn).
• That set the stage for how the first frame unfolded, as Valpo tallied five service aces from five different players in the opener. IU Indy got no closer than four points after the opening spurt, and on its second set point chance, Valpo closed the first set thanks to a Jaguar attack error.
• While the story of the first set was the service aces, the second set featured freshman Jordyn Gove (Amarillo, Texas/Randall). Gove was responsible for 8.5 points on her own in the set win, tallying six kills on .500 hitting, two solo blocks and one block assist. The rookie was in on three of Valpo’s five team blocks in the set as the Jaguars hit -.067 for the frame.
• Valpo never trailed in that set, scoring the first four points. The Jaguars got back to within two at 11-9 and were still within three at 15-12 before the Beacons closed the set on a 10-3 run to go up 2-0 in the match.
• After cruising to wins in the first two frames, Valpo had to dig a little deeper in set three. The Beacons were up 8-6, but IU Indy put together a 7-2 run to claim a 13-10 lead at the halfway mark — the first time it led since 1-0 in the opening set.
• Valpo had no issue clawing back, however, answering with 13 of the next 17 points to turn the three-point deficit into a six-point lead at 23-17. The Beacons earned match point at 24-18, and on their second attempt, closed out the sweep thanks to a block from junior Sam Warren (Kentland, Ind./South Newton) and freshman Lilly Merk (Terre Haute, Ind./Terre Haute South Vigo).

Inside the Match

• Valpo finished the Hampton Inn Invitational with a 2-1 record, matching Eastern Michigan for the tournament’s best record. EMU earned the tournament title since it defeated Valpo in the head-to-head matchup.
• Valpo extended its winning streak in the series against its former Mid-Continent Conference rival to five consecutive matches.
• Gove stood out for the Beacons on Sunday after seeing limited action in the first two matches of the weekend. The rookie finished with a match-high 14 kills on .414 hitting and added three blocks as well.
• With Gove’s performance Sunday, four different Valpo freshmen had at least one match with double-digit kills over the course of the opening weekend.
• It was a balanced Valpo attack outside of Gove’s effort Sunday, as three other Beacons tied for second-high honors on the team with five kills apiece.
• The Beacons hit at a .293 clip, posting 38 kills and committing just 11 attack errors. Sophomore Mara Thomas (Bogart, Ga./Athens Academy) handed out 15 assists, while Kois distributed 10 assists as well.
• Junior Emma Hickey (Granger, Ind./Penn) racked up a match-best 12 digs.
• Valpo limited IU Indy to .034 hitting for the match, thanks in large part to 10 team blocks. Merk was part of five of those rejections to match her defensive output from Friday night’s win over SIUE, while freshmen Ava Helming (Johnston, Iowa/Johnston) and Jessica Pickett (Carmel, Ind./Carmel) were in on three blocks apiece as well.
• A trio of Valpo’s freshmen made their collegiate debuts as serving substitutes on Sunday: Danica Goch (Baroda, Mich./Lakeshore), Mia Liberti (Chicago, Ill./De La Salle Institute) and Lindley Martin (North Judson, Ind./North Judson-San Pierre). Martin tallied a service ace with her first career serve.

Next Up

Valpo (2-1) continues early-season action next weekend at the St. Thomas Invitational in St. Paul, Minn. The three-day event begins for the Beacons Thursday afternoon, when they face off against Northern Illinois.