Valparaiso University Sports Update, February 13, 2017

VU-Seniors-Shine-in-Exhilarating-Comeback-Win-over-Western-MichiganSeniors Shine in Exhilarating Comeback Win over Western Michigan
The four Valparaiso University men’s tennis seniors have been difference-makers from the moment they stepped foot on campus. The most successful class in program history worked its magic yet again on Sunday afternoon, serving as the driving force behind Valpo’s 4-3 comeback win over Western Michigan in Kalamazoo.

How It Happened

  • The Crusaders appeared to be in dire straits, trailing the match 3-0 and needing wins on all four remaining courts to capture the victory. The good news for Valpo was that all four courts left in action featured Crusader seniors, who added to their ever-growing track record of success by pulling out the team win.
  • The final match to finish was No. 5 singles, the only three-set affair of the day. Kyle Dunn had succumbed to Daniel Loebel 6-3 in Set 1, but he rebounded with a 7-6(7-5) win in Set 2, forcing a climactic third set. With every other court wrapped up, Dunn eked out a 6-4 win to send Valpo (4-1) to its third straight triumph.
  • The second-to-last match to finish was at No. 4 singles, where Dave Bacalla (Skokie, Ill. / Niles North) thwarted a comeback try by Eric Olivarez. After a 6-3 win in Set 1, Bacalla captured a compelling second set 7-6(5).
  • Valpo’s most comfortable victory came at No. 3 singles, where Charlie Emhardt (Carmel, Ind. / Carmel) dispatched Matej Svjetlicic 6-3, 6-0.
  • After the Crusaders fell behind 3-0 as a team, it was No. 1 singles player Jeffrey Schorsch (Perrysburg, Ohio / Perrysburg) who got Valpo on the board with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Kennosuke Nouchi, who was fresh off the MAC Player of the Week distinction.
  • The first two singles matches to finish both featured Bronco wins, with Matt Hamilton bettering Chad Kissell (Latrobe, Pa. / Greater Latrobe) 6-3, 6-1 at No. 2 and Jannik Opitz defeating Garrett Gardner (Poland, Ohio / Poland) 6-1, 6-3 at No. 6.
  • Western Michigan won the doubles point as Hamilton and Optiz, the reigning MAC Doubles Team of the Week, topped Bacalla and Kissell 6-3, while Nouchi and Loebel upended No. 8 Emhardt and Schorsch 7-5. Billy Heckman and Nick Schnobel led Dunn and Gardner 5-4 in No. 3 doubles, which went unfinished.

Inside the Match

  • The Crusaders have now had 4-3 decisions on three straight Sundays. They have notched back-to-back thrilling wins over William & Mary and Western Michigan.
  • Valpo was able to overcome losing the doubles point to win a match for the first time since March 25, 2016, a 5-2 win over Xavier.
  • Dunn’s win allowed him to corral his team-leading 12th victory of the season against five losses.
  • Emhardt, the reigning Horizon League Player of the Week, advanced to 4-0 in singles dual play and 11-5 overall. He now owns 80 career wins.
  • Schorsch bumped up his career singles win total to 95, a program record. He now stands at 11-6 this year and an unblemished 4-0 in dual matches.
  • The Valpo-Western Michigan matchup has been a competitive one in recent years, with the Crusaders taking three of the last five meetings.
  • The Broncos had a 27-match home winning streak going into this weekend, but have now dropped back-to-back home contests. Big Ten foe Michigan State snapped the streak with a 4-3 victory on Saturday, before the Crusaders handed the Broncos another home defeat on Sunday. Before this weekend, Western Michigan hadn’t lost at home since 2013-14.
  • Western Michigan drops to 4-5 on the season, but Valpo was the first mid-major program to beat the Broncos this year.
  • The match was a battle of defending conference champions, with both squads winning their respective leagues a year ago. Both teams were picked as the preseason favorites to repeat their conference titles this year.

Next Up
The Crusaders have a busy day of tennis on Friday, Feb. 17 as Xavier and Eastern Illinois both visit the Courts of NWI. The match against Xavier will get going at noon, with the Eastern Illinois showdown slated to follow at 3:30 p.m.

Watson’s Career Best in Pole Vault Among Highlights at Chicagoland Championships
The Valparaiso University men’s track and field team headed west to the Windy City for the Chicagoland Championships, hosted by North Central College on Saturday. The Crusaders tallied seven team points at the meet, giving Valpo a 12th-place finish in the 19-team event.

How It Happened

  • In the pole vault, junior Alexander Watson (Bolivar, Ohio / Tuscarawas Valley) cleared the bar at 15’3” to earn four points for Valpo, soaring past his career best of 15’1”, which previously ranked second in program history. Watson now owns the second and third best pole vaults in Valpo history, with Justin Zosso holding the all-time mark of 16’2 3/4”, set in 2015.
  • Sophomore Alexander Bruno (Bloomington, Ill. / University) topped off the Crusader scoring effort with three points in the mile race. He ran a 4:23.87, besting his top season time of 4:26.62.
  • Junior jumper Montel Hall (Waukegan, Ill. / Waukegan) ended the afternoon with two ninth-place results. In the long jump, he landed at 21’5” and in the triple jump he launched for 45’4 1/4".
  • Senior Max Morello (Plano, Ill. / Plano) rounded out the Top 10 finishes for Valpo with a 10th-place nod in the 5,000m race (15:40.96).

Next Up
The team travels to Grand Valley State University on Friday, Feb. 17 for the GVSU Tune-Up event.

Shoemake Leads Valpo on Final Day in Florida
The Valparaiso University women’s golf team completed its first meet of the season on Saturday by golfing the final 18 holes of the Ball State Sunshine Invite in Port St. Lucie, Fla. The Crusaders were led by Kylie Shoemake (Schererville, Ind. / Lake Central), who carded an 81 on the final day of competition.

How It Happened

  • As a team, Valpo scored a 341 in Round 3 for a total meet score of 1,028. That placed the Crusaders in 11th of 12 teams.
  • Senior Angie Kim (Schaumberg, Ill. / Fremd) finished as Valpo’s top performer in the meet, totaling a 249 over the three rounds. That score placed her in a tie for 32nd overall. Kim posted an 83 on Saturday.
  • Junior Katie Willenbrink (Mishawaka, Ind. / Penn) was second on the team and 46th overall with a score of 257. She rounded out her weekend with an 85 in Saturday’s final round.
  • Shoemake carded a 96 in Friday’s first round, but recovered with 81s in Rounds 2 and 3. She led Valpo in each of those rounds. Her total score of 258 tied for 47th and was third on the team.
  • Sophomore Madison McCreary (Batesville, Ind. / Batesville) finished fourth on the team and 58th overall with a 264, capped off by an 89 on Saturday.
  • Senior Sydney Shrum (Cloverdale, Ind. / Cloverdale) finished in 66th with a three-round score of 291. Her Round 3 score was 99.

Inside the Rounds

  • Valpo was nine strokes ahead of 12th-place Lipscomb and 22 strokes behind 10th-place Drake.
  • The Crusaders achieved seven birdies and 97 pars over the three rounds.
  • Shoemake led the Crusaders with three birdies, while Kim enjoyed two bi

Thoughts from Head Coach Jon Haas “The kids played hard today. This is exactly the type of competition our team needs to prepare us for the conference tournament. We are very fortunate to be able to send our team to an event like this.”

Up Next
The Crusaders will next compete on Wednesday, March 8 at the Bulldog Florida Invitational as they return to the Sunshine State to hit the Windsor Parke Golf Course in Jacksonville. The meet will continue on Thursday, March 9.

Hebble, Heuer Win at No. 1 Doubles in Women’s Tennis Loss to Dayton
Valparaiso University women’s tennis seniors Kathleen Hebble (Sellersburg, Ind. / Silver Creek) and Paige Heuer (Munster, Ind. / Munster) teamed up for a victory at No. 1 doubles on Saturday in Indianapolis. The triumph marked the highlight of 4-0 loss to Dayton.

How It Happened

  • Hebble and Heuer won their match 6-3 over Marlys Bridham and Mattea Kilstofte.
  • The Flyers prevailed at No. 2 and No. 3 doubles to capture the doubles point. Mandy Marchant and Jade Kawamoto picked up a 6-2 win over Meg Modesto (Chesterton, Ind. / Chesterton) and Dao Sysouvanh (Sun Prairie, Wis. / Sun Prairie) at No. 2, while Natalie Allen and Alex Townsend won 6-1 at No. 3.
  • The two teams played a fourth doubles match, with Valpo freshman Jordan Kopfer (Eagan, Minn. / Eastview) and junior Erin Staal (Grand Haven, Mich. / Grand Haven) coming away with a 6-4 victory.
  • Heuer dropped her match to Townsend 6-2, 6-4 at No. 2 singles, while Modesto lost to Kilstofte 6-0, 6-4 at No. 3.
  • Natalie Allen defeated Randi Wind (Park Ridge, Ill. / Maine South) 6-3, 6-3 at No. 6 singles.
  • Since the Flyers had locked up the victory, the remaining singles matches did not finish. Hebble had bounced back after dropping the first set 6-2 to take the second set 6-4 at No. 2 singles.
  • Sysouvahn was up 5-4 in her second set after dropping Set 1 6-2 at No. 4 singles. At No. 5, Kopfer lost the first set 6-3 and trailed the second set 4-3 when the match was called.

Inside the Match

  • Hebble and Heuer bettered their record to 7-6 on the season with the win. They are 2-2 in the fall with solid wins over Dayton and Western Michigan.
  • The Crusaders drop to 0-4 as a team with the defeat, while Dayton lifts its record to 4-3.
  • Dayton has played four straight matches against Indiana schools, falling to Ball State before capturing wins over IUPUI, Butler and Valpo. The Crusaders were the second Horizon League school on Dayton’s schedule as the Flyers beat Northern Kentucky 4-2 on Jan. 28.

Next Up
Valpo’s next match will occur on Saturday, Feb. 18 as the Crusaders clash with Evansville at Lakeland Tennis Academy. The start time is slated for 9 a.m. Evansville is 1-3 on the season with a win over Murray State and losses to Purdue, Austin Peay and Indiana.

Defense Reigns Supreme as Valpo Knocks Off Northern Kentucky
Defense carried the Valparaiso University women’s basketball team as the Crusaders allowed the fourth-fewest points in program history on Saturday afternoon at BB&T Arena, pulling out a 41-32 victory over Northern Kentucky. The Crusaders (7-18, 2-12 Horizon) upstaged the Norse (8-17, 4-9) on their home court for the second consecutive year. Amber Lindfors (Elk Grove Village, Ill. / Elk Grove) pulled down a career-high 17 rebounds while contributing seven points and four blocks.

How It Happened

  • The game started favorably for Northern Kentucky when Kelley Wiegman knocked down a 3-pointer with 18 seconds elapsed, but the Norse wouldn’t score again for over nine minutes.
  • While holding the Norse at bay, the Crusaders compiled an 11-0 run to snag an 11-3 edge. Dani Franklin (Cedar Rapids, Iowa / George Washington) scored five points during the burst.
  • The Crusaders shot just 25 percent (4-of-16) in the opening quarter, but held Northern Kentucky to 15.4 percent (2-of-13). It was a sign of things to come on both sides. Valpo owned an 11-5 edge after one.
  • The offensive woes continued as the two teams combined for one point in the first 5:31 of the second quarter. Allison Schofield (McCordsville, Ind. / Heritage Christian) connected on a jumper with 4:19 left in the second quarter, the first made field goal of the period.
  • Northern Kentucky didn’t notch its first made field goal of the second quarter until just 2:05 remained.
  • Valpo matched its largest lead at seven with 45 seconds left in the second quarter, but Kasey Uetrecht swished a big triple with 21 seconds remaining to make it 18-14, which stood as the halftime score.
  • The Crusaders accumulated an eye-popping 29 first-half rebounds, nine of them offensive.
  • The Norse closed to within two on two occasions in the third quarter. A layup by Rebecca Lyttle made it 18-16 with 7:55 to go in the third, then Laura Thomas swished a 3 with 4:14 to go.
  • Valpo’s first made field goal of the third came with 3:41 remaining when Hannah Schaub (Brooklyn Park, Minn. / Park Center) connected on a topside triple. That sparked a 7-0 run that helped the Crusaders open up their largest lead at 28-19.
  • Freshman Grace Hales (Cromwell, Ind. / Westview) buried a 3-pointer with 8:01 to go in the fourth, pushing Valpo’s advantage to double figures for the first time at 33-23.
  • Valpo led 35-25 with five minutes left, but the Norse scored the next six points to cut it to four and give the Crusaders one more scare.
  • The Crusaders scored their last six points at the free throw line to hold on for the victory.

Inside the Game

  • The 32 points was the fewest allowed by Valpo since Dec. 21, 2015 against IU Kokomo, when the Crusaders surrendered a program-record 21 points. Thursday marked the fourth-fewest points allowed in a game in program history and the fewest against a Division-I opponent since 2010.
  • The only time Valpo held its opponent to a lower point total in a Horizon League game was Youngstown State’s 28 on Feb. 13, 2010. The Crusaders limited UMKC to 31 on Dec. 30, 2005.
  • The last time the Crusaders scored fewer than 50 points and won was Jan. 4, 2009, a 48-39 victory over Loyola.
  • The 41 points were the fewest scored in a win in program history. Previously, a 47-43 win over George Williams on Jan. 29, 1979 was the fewest points scored in a victory.
  • The Crusaders did not allow any points in the paint, points off turnovers or second-chance points in the first half. For the game, the Crusaders won the rebounding battle 47-33 and the turnover battle 15-12.
  • The Crusaders shot just 25 percent, their lowest shooting percentage of the season against a team other than Green Bay and third-lowest overall. However, the Norse shot 21.3 percent.
  • This is the first time Valpo has gotten a regular season road win against the same Horizon League opponent back-to-back years since winning at Cleveland State in each of Valpo’s first two seasons in the Horizon, 2007-08 and 2008-09.
  • Lindfors not only set a new rebounding career high with 17, but shattered her previous best by five boards. She had pulled down 12 caroms on three occasions, most recently on Thursday against Wright State.
  • Franklin just missed her third straight double-double, finishing with 11 points and nine rebounds. She now has 459 points this season, tied for the sixth-highest single-season output in program history.
  • Northern Kentucky was led by Kelley Wiegman’s 12 points. Lyttle was held to two points on 1-of-6 shooting, while Uetrecht mustered up just six points on 1-of-10 shooting.
  • The Crusaders played without Georgi Donchetz and Haylee Thompson, who were sidelined by injuries.
  • Valpo snapped a 10-game road losing streak and corralled their first win away from the Athletics-Recreation Center since Nov. 16 at Chicago State.

Thoughts from Head Coach Tracey Dorow

  • Opening Comments: “I’m not sure I’ve ever seen an uglier game as far as offensive productivity. We defended well and made things hard for them. We didn’t get down on ourselves despite not shooting well. Our kids put effort forth on the defensive end. Some of their lack of scoring was us. We made them rush things, and we rebounded well.
  • On Rebounding: “We were really aggressive on both ends. I feel like we did a really good job on the defensive end. I don’t know if our block-outs were awesome, but we went and got the ball off the rim. Caitlin (Morrison) got three offensive boards that were really big. We came up with some extra possessions. I think that’s the biggest difference in the game.
  • On Amber Lindfors: “She didn’t stop trying to score. She continued to want the ball on the block, that opened up some other kids on the outside later. Sometimes because our players are missing shots, they get down on themselves, but she attracted a lot of attention. She did a good job continuing to pursue the ball and trying to score. Every single possession made a difference. She rebounded and went and got it. She protected the ball after the rebound and did a tremendous job cleaning up the boards.
  • On Getting a Road Win: “Winning is why we play the game. We prepare to be at our best every day. When we’re not playing well, it’s been frustrating. It’s hard to win when you’re not playing well. We didn’t shoot well, but we played hard and were able to come out on top.
  • On Defensive Performance: “A lot of our success was due to the game plan. Coach (Justin) Rees had us really do a good job of pressuring (Lyttle). She didn’t do anything. We were able to take some of their other kids out of what they wanted to do. A lot of that is preparation. We had a good game plan and we executed.”

Next Up
The Crusaders will welcome Oakland to the Athletics-Recreation Center on Thursday, Feb. 16 at 7 p.m. The game can be seen on ESPN3, WatchESPN and the ESPN app and heard on 95.1 FM Valparaiso. Links to live video, audio and stats will be available on ValpoAthletics.com.

Women’s Track & Field Enjoys Top 10 Finish at Chicagoland Championships
The Valparaiso University women’s track and field team competed at the Chicagoland Championships in Naperville, Ill. on Friday. The squad finished in 10th place, besting eight other programs at the meet. Senior Liz Owen (Freedom, Wis./Freedom) led all Valpo runners with 20 points earned in her two races.

How It Happened

  • Owen was triumphant in two events for the Crusaders, both in distance events. In the 800m race, she ran a 2:15.32 and finished the mile in 5:03.98. Her time in the 800m was just over two seconds shy of clipping her career best of 2:13.03, which ranks second in program history.
  • Freshman Anne Mou (Bloomingdale, Ill./Lake Park) picked up a sixth-place nod in the triple jump (35’3 1/2") to receive three points for Valparaiso. The jumper also had a leap of 16’4 3/4" in the long jump.
  • In the throws, sophomore Nellie Bonham (Palos Hills, Ill./Stagg) collected two Top 20 performances. In the shot put, she had a throw of 38’0 3/4" for 17th place and earned 20th in the weight throw (44’11”).
  • Freshman Kayla Horne (Chicago, Ill./Luther North College Prep) finished the 400m sprint in 1:01.44 to earn a 17th-place mark, nearly eclipsing her season-best of 59.73, which dates back to the season opening meet on Dec. 2.

Next Up
The Crusaders travel to Grand Valley State University on Friday, Feb. 17 for the GVSU Tune-Up before the Horizon League Indoor Championships in two weeks.

Kim Paces Crusaders on First Day of Spring Season
The Valparaiso University women’s golf team started its 2017 spring campaign in the sunshine of Port St. Lucie, Fla. on Friday. The Crusaders are in 11th of 12 after posting a two-round score of 687 on the first day of competition at the Ball State Sunshine Invitational. The team scored a 348 in the opening round before improving to a 339 in the second 18 holes.

How It Happened

  • Senior Angie Kim (Schaumberg, Ill. / Fremd) led the way on the opening day of competition, posting a 163. She stroked an 80 in the first round before registering an 83 in round two. Kim is tied for 18th individually.
  • Katie Willenbrink (Mishawaka, Ind. / Penn) had the second-best day of any Crusader and is tied for 44th overall at 172. Willenbrink stroked an 85 in the first round before carding an 87 in Round 2.
  • Madison McCreary (Batesville, Ind. / Batesville) stands third on the team and tied for 52nd overall at 175.
  • Kylie Shoemake (Schererville, Ind. / Lake Central) contributed a 177, making a drastic improvement with an 81 in Round 2 following a 96 in the opening round.
  • Sydney Shrum (Cloverdale, Ind. / Cloverdale) turned in a 192 and enters the final round in 66th overall.

Inside the Rounds

  • The Crusaders are 16 strokes ahead of Lipscomb for 11th in the standings. They are 10 strokes behind Drake (677) for 10th and 12 in back of ninth-place IUPUI.
  • Valpo posted 60 pars and six birdies on the day.
  • This marked the first day of competition under first-year head coach Jon Haas.

Up Next
The Ball State Sunshine Invitational will continue with Day 2 on Saturday in Port St. Lucie, Fla. The Crusaders will compete in 18 holes to round out the event at St. Lucie Trail Golf Club. A link to live results can be found on ValpoAthletics.com.

Women’s Tennis Drops Match in State Capital
The Valparaiso University women’s tennis team played the first of back-to-back matches on Friday at the University of Indianapolis. The host Greyhounds prevailed 9-0 after a long day of tennis in the state capital.

How It Happened

  • Jordan Kopfer (Eagan, Minn. / Eastview) picked up Valpo’s lone set win of the day, taking the second set from Indianapolis’s Dana Olsen 6-4 at No. 5 singles. Kopfer dropped the opening set 6-3 and the decisive set 10-6 to lose a tightly-contested match.
  • Another competitive showdown occurred at No. 6 singles, where Randi Wind (Park Ridge, Ill. / Maine South) was nipped 7-6(3), 6-3 by Mara Hofstetter.
  • The match was filled with close sets, including the No. 2 singles matchup between Paige Heuer (Munster, Ind. / Munster) and Florence Renard. Heuer was on the wrong end of 6-4 and 7-5 scores.
  • Meg Modesto (Chesterton, Ind. / Chesterton) dropped a battle with Stephanie Hirsch at No. 3 singles 6-4, 6-3. Hirsch was the GLVC Player of the Year in 2015 before an injury-plagued 2016.
  • Dao Sysouvanh (Sun Prairie, Wis. / Sun Prairie) suffered a 6-1, 6-2 setback to Dana Olsen at No. 5 singles.
  • Kathleen Hebble (Sellersburg, Ind. / Silver Creek) dropped the No. 1 singles match to Hannah Volikova, the reigning Great Lakes Valley Conference Freshman of the Year.
  • Heuer and Hebble succumbed to Volikova and Renard 8-4 at No. 1 doubles.
  • The No. 2 doubles match was also decided by a score of 8-4, with Modesto and Sysouvanh losing to Hirsch and Selenay Heper.
  • Sisters Dana and Paige Olsen got the better of Wind and Kopfer at 8-1 at No. 3 doubles.
  • The Greyhounds improved to 3-1 with the victory, while Valpo dropped to 0-3.
  • Indianapolis has played only Division-I competition in dual match play and fared well, notching wins over IUPUI and Butler to go along with a close loss to Illinois State.
  • The Greyhounds are the preseason favorites to win the GLVC (Division-II).

Next Up
The Crusaders will remain in Indianapolis for a neutral site match against Dayton on Saturday at 2 p.m. Central Time. The Flyers are 3-3 on the season and won back-to-back matches last weekend, 4-1 over IUPUI and 6-1 over Butler.

Campbell Signs with Tampa Bay Rowdies of USL
The Valparaiso University men’s soccer team has added another player to its growing list of alumni who have gone on to reach the professional ranks following their time with the program.

Goalkeeper Nico Campbell (Kingston, Jamaica / St. George’s College) has signed with the Tampa Bay Rowdies of the United Soccer League. Campbell, who finished his Valpo career this past fall, completed a trial with the Rowdies in January and played 45 minutes in two Florida Cup matches.

Campbell finished his Valpo career with 22 shutouts, one shy of matching Kyle Zobeck’s program record. He was an important piece on a Valpo side that tied the program record for wins in a single season with 10 in 2016.

Campbell was named Horizon League all-second team as a senior after notching Horizon League Goalkeeper of the Year and first-team all-conference accolades following his junior campaign. He posted an 0.93 goals against average while racking up 57 saves and notching seven clean sheets during his senior season.

Stefan Antonijevic, who played at Valpo from 2009-2011, also played for Tampa Bay. He left the team after last season and is currently on trial with a professional club in Norway.

The Rowdies are slated to begin the season on March 25.