After flying high against Kankakee Valley last Wednesday, Merrillville came back down to earth. The Pirates came up short against the Valparaiso Vikings on Thursday, falling 3-0. The game marked the first time this season in which the Pirates were not able to get on the board.
While Merrillville had to settle for second, they sure made a game of it, scoring at least 18 points in every set they played. The match finished with set scores of 25-18, 25-20, 25-19.
Larry Williams paced Merrillville's offense, picking up six kills. Williams got some help from Maurice LaGrand and his 15 assists. Finally, Williams was also a dominant defender, finishing with a team-high two blocks.
Valparaiso was led to victory by Colton Allen and Ben Wassilak. Allen had five digs and five aces, while Wassilak had nine assists and six digs.
Merrillville's loss dropped their record down to 4-3. As for Valparaiso, the win got them back to even at 2-2.
The future could be bright for both Merrillville and Valparaiso: their next opponents haven't had the best luck recently. The Pirates will look to extend La Porte's five-game losing streak when they meet at 6:00 p.m. on Monday. Meanwhile, Valparaiso will try to hand Crown Point their third-straight defeat when the two meet at 6:00 p.m. on Monday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
