Valparaiso improved its team score by six shots over round one on Tuesday, shooting a final round 340, and finished in eighth place at the Loyola Invitational at the Evanston Golf Club in Skokie, Ill.

The Crusaders finished at 686 for the 36-hole event, just four strokes behind Green Bay for seventh.  IPFW finished ninth, 21 shots behind Valpo.  Western Illinois won the team title at 626, three shots ahead of host Loyola (Chicago).

Brianna Davy (Schererville, Ind./Lake Central H.S.) led the way for Valpo finishing in a tie for 24th place.  She shot 82 over the final round to finish at 167 on the 5,991-yard, par-73 layout.

Erika Pfaender (Pewaukee, Wis./Arrowhead H.S.) and Kelly Voigt (Palatine, Ill./Fremd H.S.) both shot second round 85s for the Brown and Gold.  Pfaender finished the tournament at 172 while Voigt was two strokes behind her teammate in the final standings.  Michelle Kleckner (New Brighton, Minn./Irondale H.S.) carded a final round 88 to finish at 173 while Jessica O’Brien (Chesterton, Ind./Chesterton H.S.) shot a 95 to finish with a 188 total.

Valparaiso will return to action on Saturday and Sunday in Bowling Green, Ohio for the Falcon Invitational.  Saturday’s first round begins with a shotgun start at 9 a.m. CDT.