Valparaiso University Sports Update, November 7, 2016

Swimming Takes On SVSU Sunday
The Valparaiso University men’s and women’s swim teams traveled northeast to take on the Cardinals from Saginaw Valley State on Sunday. The Crusaders dropped the meet to SVSU on the men’s side, 147-66, and on the women’s side, 142-66.

How It Happened

• For the men, junior Max Penn (Columbus, Ohio/St. Charles Prep) earned a second-place finish in the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 54.69, almost eclipsing his season-best of 54.65.
• Freshman Peyton Stambeck (Bartlesville, Okla./Bartlesville) collected two third-place finishes during the meet. He swam a 48.49 in the 100 freestyle and a 1:47.29 in the 200 freestyle to help the Crusaders.
• The women’s side was led by two second-place finishes from senior Rachel Law (Wayne, Pa./Villa Maria Academy), earning them in the 100-yard backstroke (1:12.97) and the 1,650-yard freestyle (18:37.03). She also tallied a third-place finish in the 200-yard individual medley (2:21.79).
• Junior Amanda Jenny (New Albany, Ohio/New Albany) received a second-place finish in the 200-yard freestyle (2:03.95), as well as a second-place finish in the 200-yard medley relay. With the help from the trio of freshman Tara Lawson (Mundelein, Ill./Mundelein), senior Emily Trimpe (New Palestine, Ind./New Palestine) and freshman Erica Martins (Hartland, Wis./Lake County Lutheran), the group finished with the time of 1:54.44.
• Freshman Paige Wright (Surprise, Ariz./Paradise Honor) erased 13-hundredths off her team-leading time in the 50-yard freestyle to earn a second-place finish this afternoon. The speedster also received a third-place outcome in the 100-yard freestyle (55.23).

Next Up
Valpo begins a two-meet homestand next week beginning on Sunday, Nov. 13, as Western Illinois comes to town. The meet is slated to start at noon at the ARC swimming pool.

Magical National Indoor Run Concludes with Runner-up Finish
When Valparaiso University men’s tennis doubles players Jeffrey Schorsch (Perrysburg, Ohio / Perrysburg) and Charlie Emhardt (Carmel, Ind. / Carmel) received the news they had qualified for the USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships, the duo had already achieved an unprecedented feat for the program.

Little did anyone know, qualifying for the event was only the beginning for the Valpo seniors.

The end came on Sunday at the Billy Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y., as Schorsch and Emhardt fell 6-3, 7-5 to Wake Forest’s Christian Seraphim and Skander Mansouri in the USTA/ITA National Indoor final match.

The Crusaders fended off a match point to stay alive and extend the second set by drawing even 5-5. However, Seraphim and Mansouri, the No. 2 seed in the event and the No. 3 team in the nation, eventually prevailed.

The loss snapped a stretch of four straight victories for Schorsch and Emhardt. Qualifying for the event had cemented their status as one of the top 20 doubles teams in the nation. Reaching the final two as a wild card selection made the feat all the more noteworthy.

Along the way, Schorsch and Emhardt dispatched two teams ranked in the top 10 in the nation, California’s Filip Bergevi and Florian Lakat (No. 2) and Columbia’s Richard Pham and Victor Pham (No. 7). The 7-5, 4-6, 1-0 (11-9) win over the nation’s No. 2 team on Thursday is one that will be remembered for years to come.

Schorsch and Emhardt finish the fall season 10-4, extending their program record for career doubles wins.

Next, the Crusaders will take some time away from match competition before returning to the courts in January. Valpo will enter the spring as heavy favorites to repeat as Horizon League champions and make a second straight NCAA Tournament appearance. For now, however, they’ll take some time to soak up the excitement of a Cinderella run that will live on in Valpo lore.

Five-Set Match Goes Against Crusaders Saturday
The Valparaiso University volleyball team led Green Bay in Horizon League play Saturday evening at the ARC, two sets to one, but the Phoenix claimed the final two sets to earn the 3-2 win and spoil the Crusaders’ Senior Night.

How It Happened

• Green Bay maintained the advantage throughout much of the first half of set one, but the Crusaders pulled away at the midway point on the serve of senior Morganne Longoria (Burlington, Wis./Burlington). Junior Taylor Graboski (Upper Sandusky, Ohio/Upper Sandusky) recorded five kills during an 8-0 run which gave Valpo the 17-12 lead. The Phoenix responded with three straight points, but Valpo answered with five in a row to maintain control of the opener.
• The tables turned in the second set, as Green Bay pulled out to a quick 8-2 lead and never let the advantage fall under four points.
• The Crusaders would never trail in the third frame, as they scored three of the first four points. A number of times in the first half of the set, Green Bay closed to within a single point, but each time, Valpo held off the Phoenix’s advance. The Crusader offense shone in the third set, hitting at a .389 clip with 18 kills.
• A 5-0 Crusader run early in the fourth set gave them a 12-9 lead, but Green Bay answered with six of the next eight points. The Phoenix extended its lead to 21-16 before five consecutive points from Valpo – including two kills and a block from sophomore Sydney Bronner (Frankenmuth, Mich./Frankenmuth) – tied the frame at 21-all. But Green Bay scored four of the final five points to force a decisive fifth set.
• The Crusaders scored two of the first three points in the fifth set, but that would be their only lead, as Green Bay scored five straight to go ahead 6-2 and Valpo could get no closer than two points the rest of the way.

Inside the Match

• Valpo honored its group of six seniors – Longoria, Tarrah Lasky (Valparaiso, Ind./Valparaiso), Emily Campbell (Grand Rapids, Mich./Forest Hills Central), Jamie Lacheta (Warsaw, Ind./Warsaw), Lexie Bouza (Elgin, Ill./Burlington Central) and Rachel Bruinsma (New Era, Mich./Western Michigan Christian) - following the match during Senior Night ceremonies. The group of six has helped Valpo to 91 wins over their careers to date.
• Graboski matched her career high for kills on Saturday, recording 24 terminations. The junior had at least three kills in each of the five sets, including nine in the opening set alone.
• Sophomore Katherine Carlson (Lake Orion, Mich./Notre Dame Prep) notched her second triple-double in the last three weeks, finishing with 13 kills on .345 hitting to go with a career-high 11 assists and 10 digs.
• Campbell joined Graboski and Carlson with double-figure kill totals on the attack, posting 12 kills on .250 hitting and also contributing 19 digs in the back row. She now owns 1,378 career kills, just 26 shy of fourth place in Valpo history.
• Longoria finished with her third 20-20 performance of the season, tallying a match-high 29 digs and 25 assists. The senior now has recorded 595 digs on the year, leaping into eighth place in program history for a single season in the category.
• Lasky handed out 15 assists as well, as the Crusaders hit .235 on offense for the match.
• Bruinsma led the Valpo effort on the block, as she was part of seven of the Crusaders’ 12 team blocks. The senior matched her career best with three solo rejections.

Next Up
The Crusaders (14-17, 5-9 Horizon) close out the 2016 home slate at the ARC Wednesday evening at the ARC as they host Oakland. First serve is slated for 6 p.m., and all the action can be seen live on ESPN3, WatchESPN and the ESPN app. Links for the live coverage will be available via ValpoAthletics.com.

Crusaders Drop Road Finale at Dayton
The Valparaiso University football team racked up 351 yards of total offense and ran for 182 yards, but Dayton quarterback Alex Jeske accounted for four touchdowns to help the Flyers to a 37-21 win over the Crusaders on Saturday at Welcome Stadium in Dayton.

How It Happened

• Valpo’s opening drive resulted in a pass that was tipped by a Valpo receiver and intercepted by Chris Hagan at the Crusader 48-yard line.
• That led the Flyers to the first score of the game when Adam Trautman hauled in a 29-yard pass from Jeske.
• The Crusaders drew even on a 1-yard touchdown plunge by freshman Austin Petrie (Livonia, Mich. / Stevenson), who was playing his first game on offense in a Valpo uniform.
• Dayton took the lead on a 5-yard run by Jeske with 3:24 left in the first quarter, and from there the Flyers never looked back.
• William Will added a 20-yard field goal to beef the lead to 10 with 8:23 remaining in the first half.
• The Crusaders were knocking on the door of whittling the edge to three in the second quarter, but David Leisring took away a red-zone chance by intercepting a Jimmy Seewald (Livonia, Mich. / Divine Child) pass at the Dayton 2-yard line.
• The turnover prompted a 5-play, 98-yard TD drive that took only 1:16 and culminated with Jeske running it in from 32 yards out. Dayton maintained that 24-7 edge at halftime.
• The Crusaders turned in a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns as Cody Boxrucker (West Chester, Ohio / Badin) barreled in from 2 yards out and Petrie plunged in for a 1-yard run.

Inside the Game

• With Jarrett Morgan sidelined with a concussion, the Crusaders turned to a three-freshmen rushing attack. Petrie, who had played only on special teams before Saturday, ran for 76 yards on 14 carries and two touchdowns to lead the way.
• Kyle Cartales (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. / Cardinal Newman) made his first career start and racked up 47 yards on 15 carries. Boxrucker also received six carries and had 28 yards.
• Saturday’s game was the closest Valpo-Dayton matchup since Valpo’s most recent victory over the Flyers in 2003.
• The Flyers accumulated 522 yards of total offense, striking an effective balance of passing (248) and rushing (274).
• Ryan Clarke (Hopatcong, N.J. / Hopatcong) entered the game in the second quarter in place of Seewald, who left with concussion-like symptoms. Clarke went 8-of-17 for 87 yards and threw one interception. Seewald was 7-of-11 for 82 yards.
• Jeske threw for 248 and one touchdown and rushed for 59 yards and three scores to guide the Flyers.
• Kicker Jake Simpson (Wyandotte, Mich. / Roosevelt) returned after missing three games with a groin injury and improved to 21-for-21 on extra points by going 3-for-3.
• Jean Rene (Delray Beach, Fla. / Wellington Community) had a season-high five receptions for 60 yards.
• The Valpo defense forced a lost fumble for the second straight week and fourth time this season, as Drew Snouffer (Columbus, Ohio / Upper Arlington) provided a hit and then made a recovery to thwart a promising Dayton drive in the middle of the third quarter.

Thoughts from Head Coach Dave Cecchini

• Kellan Hughes (Cicero, Ind. / Hamilton Heights) led the way with nine tackles, while Nick Turner added eight.
• On matchups with Dayton: “We’ve come out and played hard against these guys. The three years I’ve been here, they’ve been a tough, physical team that has talent and knows how to win. To beat these guys, you have to come out and execute on both sides. You can’t give them anything easy, you have to make them earn it. There were a lot of frustrating moments, but there were a lot of positive things.”
• On the running back situation: “We had a bunch of young guys that stepped up with Jarrett Morgan out. I don’t know if there is another team in the United States that gave 35 carries to true freshmen tailbacks today.”
• On Austin Petrie: “We knew he had been playing well. He really showed up in special teams. He got a little banged up at the end of camp. He was being outplayed by Kyle Cartales and Cody Boxrucker, so he was kind of the odd man out. It wasn’t until the third week of the season that we put him on special teams, and he immediately made an impact. This was the opportunity for him this week. He was successful when he was out there.”

Next Up
The Crusaders (3-7, 2-5 PFL) round out the regular season against Jacksonville (4-4, 3-2) at 1 p.m. on Saturday. The game can be heard on WVUR, 95.1 FM Valparaiso. Links to live audio and stats will be available on ValpoAthletics.com.

Unforgettable Week Continues as Emhardt, Schorsch Move on to National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships Final Match
Valparaiso University men’s tennis doubles players Jeffrey Schorsch (Perrysburg, Ohio / Perrysburg) and Charlie Emhardt (Carmel, Ind. / Carmel) will play for the USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate title on Sunday.

Schorsch and Emhardt stayed unbeaten in the tournament and continued their unprecedented run by dispatching Columbia brother duo Victor and Richard Pham on Saturday at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y.

The Valpo pair pulled out the first set 7-6 (10-8), then clinched a spot in the championship match with a 6-3 win in Set 2.

The Crusaders received a USTA wild card berth in the event, and have proved they belong in the field every step of the way. Now, only one win separates them from a national indoor title. Schorsch and Emhardt are the third team from a non-Power 5 conference to make the men’s doubles final in the last 10 years.

With a win on Sunday, they would become the first Horizon League representatives to ever win the event. In order to clear that final hurdle, they will have to get through Wake Forest’s Skander Mansouri and Christian Seraphim, who won a three-set thriller over Michigan’s Jathan Malik and Kevin Wong 3-6, 7-5, 10-4 in Saturday’s semifinal.

Had Malik and Wong won, it would have set up a rematch of the ITA Midwest Regional final, in which Malik and Wong eked out a compelling win to nab the automatic qualifying spot. Instead, the Crusaders will deal with the Wake Forest duo, which is the No. 2 seed in the event and the No. 3 team in the nation in the most recent Oracle ITA Division-I Men’s National Doubles Rankings.

Seraphin and Mansouri were doubles all-Americans a year ago. Seraphim also had 35 singles wins to tie for third in single-season program history, while Mansouri was all-ACC first team and a singles All-American by virtue of his 33-11 record and 17 wins against ranked opponents.

Live stats of Sunday’s championship match will be available on ValpoAthletics.com.

Valpo Falls to Wright State, Clinches Spot in Horizon League Tournament
The Valparaiso University men’s soccer team allowed two second-half goals in a 2-0 loss to Horizon League regular season champion Wright State on Friday night at Brown Field. By virtue of Milwaukee’s dramatic 1-0 win over Cleveland State, which came on a 90th minute goal, the Crusaders have secured a spot in the Horizon League Tournament and will play at Milwaukee in the first round on Monday.

How It Happened

• The Raiders notched an early shot on goal, but Nico Campbell (Kingston, Jamaica / St. George’s College) stopped an AJ Paterson attempt in the second minute. That stood as the only shot on goal of the match until the 23rd minute, when a Steffen Pulinx header was stopped by Wright State goalkeeper Joel Sundell.
• The Pulinx attempt remained the only shot on goal for the Crusaders in the first half. The Raiders did rip off two more shots on goal, necessitating three total first-half saves by Campbell to keep it scoreless through 45 minutes.
• Campbell made saves on the first five Wright State shots on goal, but the sixth resulted in a goal in the 58th minute. Eric Lynch shot from 30 yards out and sneaked it past the keeper, hitting the lower back of the net. Peguy Ngatcha received credit for the assist.
• The Crusaders had a chance to equalize in the 83rd minute off a corner kick, but Wright State goalkeeper Joel Sundell made a diving save on Omar Lawrence’s shot on goal. The Crusaders continued to threaten in the 84th minute, but two shots were blocked in a 30 second span.
• Jackson Dietrich allowed the Raiders to pull away in the 87th minute, scoring on an assist by Eric Lynch. Dietrich shot from 30 yards out and put it past an outstretched Campbell.

Inside the Match

• Campbell finished with seven saves, his highest total of the season. The last time he had more than six was a 1-1 tie with Belmont on Oct. 24, 2015, when Campbell made eight saves in 110 minutes.
• Eight of Valpo’s 11 corner kicks came in the final 8:05 of the match.
• The Raiders outshot the Crusaders 20-15 and placed nine shots on goal. Valpo finished with just three shots on goal.
• Kendan Anderson fired off six shots, the most of any Crusader.
• After the match ended, Valpo needed anything other than a draw between Milwaukee and Cleveland State to reach the conference tournament. Milwaukee’s Evan Dujardin scored at 89:35 to allow the Crusaders to claim a spot in the tournament.

Next Up
The Crusaders (10-5-3, 4-3-2) turn their attention to the Horizon League Tournament for a first-round road fixture with Milwaukee (8-7-2, 5-3-1) at 7 p.m. Central Time. Links to live coverage will be available on ValpoAthletics.com.

Crusaders Sweep UIC Friday Evening
The Valparaiso University volleyball team took care of business Friday night at the ARC in Horizon League action, sweeping visiting UIC, 3-0 (25-21, 25-19, 25-15).

How It Happened

• Valpo claimed the lead from the outset of set one against the Flames, scoring four of the first five points. While the Crusaders maintained the advantage and pushed it to as many as five points, UIC rallied and would eventually tie the set at 17-all. But out of a timeout, the Crusaders reeled off four straight points to take control and would eventually claim the opener.
• The Crusader offense carried them to a win in set two, as Valpo hit .353 and committed just two attack errors. Four straight points turned a 10-9 deficit into a 13-10 lead, and then with the advantage cut to one at 15-14, Valpo went on an 8-1 run to put the frame away.
• UIC jumped out to a quick 6-2 lead in set three as it looked to extend the match, and halfway through the set led 12-9. But the Crusaders turned the set on its head to complete the sweep, ending the match on a 16-3 run. The match-ending run included nine kills from four different players, led by four kills from senior Emily Campbell (Grand Rapids, Mich./Forest Hills Central).

Inside the Match

• Valpo enjoyed an efficient offensive performance all-around on Friday, hitting at a .272 clip while committing just 11 attack errors – only six of which were unforced errors.
• Campbell led the way for Valpo with 14 kills on .297 hitting, and narrowly missed a double-double as she finished the match with nine digs.
• Junior Taylor Graboski (Upper Sandusky, Ohio/Upper Sandusky) finished with 11 kills on .258 hitting, while sophomore Katherine Carlson (Lake Orion, Mich./Notre Dame Prep) added seven kills and senior Jamie Lacheta (Warsaw, Ind./Warsaw) chipped in six. Carlson also posted eight digs, five assists and three service aces.
• Senior Morganne Longoria (Burlington, Wis./Burlington) continued to play her dual libero/setter role, registering team highs with 21 assists and 17 digs.
• Senior Lexie Bouza (Elgin, Ill./Burlington Central) finished with 10 digs as well to back up Longoria as the Crusaders limited UIC to .125 hitting.

Thoughts From Head Coach Carin Avery
“Coming down the stretch of league play, everybody has a lot to play for – whether its teams battling for seeds or teams fighting to get into the tournament. So there’s a lot of pressure on everyone right now to perform, and I thought we came out and handled the pressure well tonight.”

“We’ve been working on some new things in practice this last week with the system we’re running, and I thought we did an excellent job implementing those ideas into tonight’s match.”

Next Up
The Crusaders (14-16, 5-8 Horizon) continue the three-match homestand on Saturday afternoon as they host Green Bay at 4 p.m. The match can be seen live on ESPN3, WatchESPN and the ESPN app, and heard live on WVUR (95.1 FM, Valparaiso), with links for the live video, audio and stats available via ValpoAthletics.com. It will also be Senior Night for Valpo, as the program honors its six seniors following the match.

Emhardt, Schorsch Punch Ticket to Semifinals as ITA National Indoor Run Rolls On
Another day, another victory for Valparaiso University men’s tennis doubles players Jeffrey Schorsch (Perrysburg, Ohio / Perrysburg) and Charlie Emhardt (Carmel, Ind. / Carmel).

A day after upstaging the tournament’s No. 1 seed, the Crusader pair captured its third win in as many matches in Flushing, N.Y. on Friday, besting Ole Miss’s Fabian Fallert and Grey Hamilton to secure a spot in Saturday’s semifinals.

Schorsch and Emhardt took the first set 6-2, with help from four double faults by the Rebels. The second set was a seesaw affair that saw the Crusaders notch a 6-4 win to put the match away.

Now, Valpo has an opportunity to earn a spot in the USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships final match with a win on Saturday.

The duo made Valpo history when it qualified for the tournament, which features the top 20 doubles teams in the nation. They made the field by virtue of a USTA wild card selection, becoming the first Crusader pair to qualify. They’ve added to the historic run with each passing win, and will be one of four doubles teams standing going into Saturday.

In the semifinals, Emhardt and Schorsch will face Columbia’s Richard Pham and Victor Pham, who defeated a UC Santa Barbara pair 7-6 (5), 2-6, 1-0 (8) in Friday’s quarterfinals. The brothers are ranked No. 7 in the nation. Victor, a sophomore, was a blue-chip recruit out of high school, ranking as high as No. 11 in the class of 2015. Richard, a senior, advanced to the NCAA doubles tournament alongside Shawn Hadavi last season.

The winner of Saturday’s match between Emhardt-Schorsch and Pham-Pham will advance to the championship match on Sunday.