Valparaiso hasn't had much luck against Crown Point recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Vikings will be playing in front of their home fans against the Bulldogs at 5:00 p.m. Valparaiso will be strutting in after a victory while Crown Point will be coming in after a defeat.
While Valparaiso's win against Merrillville wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Vikings narrowly escaped with a victory as the squad sidled past the Pirates 3-2. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Vikings have posted since September 13th.
The match was a true back-and-forth as no team won consecutive sets, but in the end it was Valparaiso who won the one that mattered. The final score came out to 25-10, 22-25, 25-11, 24-26, 15-8.
Abbi Brubaker
| 09/30/25 @ Merrillville | 8 |
| 08/28/25 vs Michigan City | 6 |
| 09/23/25 @ Michigan City | 3 |
| 09/04/25 vs Merrillville | 3 |
| 10/01/24 vs Merrillville | 3 |
Abbi Brubaker went supernova, getting eight aces and six digs. Those eight aces gave her a new career-high.
They weren't the only good servers: Valparaiso was lethal from the service line and finished the match with 26 aces. They are 8-1 when they serve at least ten aces.
Meanwhile, Crown Point faced Chesterton in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Tuesday. The Bulldogs fell just short of the Trojans by a score of 3-2.
Crown Point took a 2-1 lead headed into the fourth set, but sadly they lost the next two. Once all was said and done, the final score wound up at 25-22, 23-25, 12-25, 25-17, 15-10.
Valparaiso will have to contain Bella Del Real as she made an impact in Crown Point's last game. She had 27 digs and two aces. Del Real has been hot for a while, having posted ten or more digs the last 11 times she's played. Hayden Klimowicz was another key player, getting ten digs and two aces.
Valparaiso is on a roll lately: they've won six of their last eight contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 16-12 record this season. As for Crown Point, their loss was their first in the conference, dropping their conference record down to 10-1 and their overall record down to 23-3.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Thursday's matchup: Valparaiso has really dialed in their serving this season, having averaged 8 aces per game. However, it's not like Crown Point struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7 aces. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Valparaiso suffered a grim 3-0 defeat to Crown Point in their previous matchup back in September. Will the Vikings have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other volleyball content.
