Update - Saturday’s Popcorn Classic games, including Valparaiso’s 6p match against Oakland, have been moved to Washington Twp. High School due to on-court conditions at the Athletics-Recreation Center. The air conditioning installation at the ARC is in the final phase and will be in place during the 2026-27 athletic season.
VALPARAISO - Everything felt a little off at the Athletics-Recreation Center on Friday night for the Valparaiso volleyball home opener.
To start, the air conditioning that Valparaiso was working to install over the summer was literally off on Friday, leading to uncomfortably hot temperatures inside the arena as a result of the recent heatwave in Northwest Indiana. It was an all hands on deck affair as gameday staff did an admirable job of clearing the court of any moisture throughout the match.
The layout for the opener to this weekend’s Popcorn Classic was off as well as the Beacons started the match using the bench on the east side of the arena as opposed to their traditional starting point on the west side. Valparaiso’s friends and family section also was moved to a different part of the chairbacks as Cincinnati fans were sitting in the traditional section where Valpo parents have been vibrant for years.
The biggest break from the norm on Friday was that Carin Avery, the architect of the Valparaiso volleyball program and the winningest coach of any sport in school history, wasn’t on the sidelines.
The school released the following statement shortly before the match began.