Art of the Comeback: Volleyball Sweeps Oakland Thanks to Late Pushes
Down 21-20 late in the first set? No problem. Trailing 23-20 in the second set? No big deal. Facing a 22-17 deficit in the third set? Shake it off. The Valparaiso University volleyball team strung together points late in all three sets to overcome those deficits and earn a 3-0 (25-21, 25-23, 27-25) sweep at defending league champion Oakland in Rochester, Mich. on Saturday afternoon.
“It was great to get another hard-earned victory on the road today,” said Crusader head coach Carin Avery. “I’m so proud of our team for being on the other end and getting the come-from-behind victory tonight. It was great to see us stay mentally engaged at the end of the match and not give up.”
Crusaders Place 14th In Season-Opening Tournament
The #15 Valparaiso University bowling team closed out the FDU NJ Jamboree on Sunday, placing 14th in bracket play.
“This is not the way we wanted to start off the year,” said Crusader head coach Matt Nantais. “We've identified some things that we need to work on a little bit more in practice. We will start implementing those changes on Monday.”
Five Finish in Double Figures as Crusaders Prevail in Exhibition Opener
The Crusader women's basketball team shot 49.4% from the field as they rolled to a 94-78 victory in an exhibition tilt versus Purdue Calumet. Jasmyn Walker (Muskegon, Mich./Mona Shores) posted 19 points and eight rebounds while freshmen Meredith Hamlet (McBain, Mich./McBain) and Hannah Schaub (Brooklyn Park, Minn./Park Center) pitched in 18 and 15 points, respectively.
Valpo displayed outstanding ball movement for much of the afternoon. The Crusaders recorded 28 assists on 38 field goals. Head coach Tracey Dorow received a combined 83 minutes amongst three freshmen. Schaub finished an assist shy of a double-double while the younger Hamlet squeezed five boards and dished out four assists. Rookie Amber Lindfors (Elk Grove Village, Ill./Elk Grove Village) pulled down eight rebounds and swatted three shots as she made her presence known on the defensive end of the court.
Oelschlager’s Golden Goal Propels Crusaders Into Tournament
It was only fitting that, in their final match at home on Brown Field, a pair of seniors teamed up for the match-winning goal, as Shelby Oelschlager (Glendale, Ariz./Mountain Ridge) finished a cross from Jenny Fassbinder (Hudson, Wis./Hudson) in the 101st minute to give Valparaiso a 1-0 win over Cleveland State Friday evening. With the victory, the Crusaders assured themselves a berth in the Horizon League Championship, where they will be the fifth seed and play Monday at fourth-seeded Wright State.
With Wright State’s win over Detroit earlier in the day, the Crusaders knew when their match kicked off that either a win or a draw with the Vikings would put Valpo in the tournament field. But Valpo played the game like a team looking to earn all three points all the way, out-shooting CSU by a 28-9 margin, putting 12 shots on goal and earning 12 corner kick opportunities.