Coming off of a tournament championship and a perfect weekend in its last outing at Virginia Union, the Valparaiso University bowling team moved up to #15 in the nation in the December iteration of the National Tenpin Coaches Association (NTCA) top-25 poll.

The Crusaders returned to their preseason ranking of #15 after having dropped two spots to #17 in November polling. Valpo’s win at the Virginia Union Invitational was the last of four tournaments for the Crusaders in the fall, as they will return to action following the holiday recess Jan. 15-17 at Arkansas State’s Mid-Winter Invitational.

“We had a good first half of the season,” said Crusader head coach Matt Nantais. “We struggled finishing matches at Nebraska, which hurt us. We finished the first half with a strong performance at Virginia Union. We are looking to use that momentum when we get back and start the second half at Arkansas State.”

With their ranking in the latest NTCA poll, Valparaiso continues its streak of being ranked in every single NTCA poll since the program’s inception prior to the 2009-10 season.