Beacon Up, See the Games
Beacon Up, See the Games
Welcome Back Weekend is here and The Victory Bell is pumped
I’m warning you now, this column might read like a love letter to Valparaiso athletics.
Guilty.
I’ve had this weekend circled on my calendar from the instant the 2024 fall sports schedules were announced earlier this summer.
Soccer. Tennis. Volleyball. Football. All at home.
Not to mention Cross-Country at Illinois State and Softball just down the road in Hammond for Mike Armitage’s unofficial debut. Throw in Men’s Basketball star Cooper Schwieger signing autographs in the community on Friday night and this is an electric weekend for Valparaiso athletics.
The Victory Bell will be on site for all of the home events and will be delivering coverage all weekend long for paid subscribers.
Women’s Soccer vs. Eastern Michigan
Thursday, Sept. 12, 7 p.m., Brown Field
The Beacons certainly have a flair for the dramatic in the 2024 season. Their last two victories have come with goals being scored in the 88th minute. Addy Joiner found the back of the net in a come-from-behind victory against Milwaukee at Brown Field on Aug. 25 and then freshman Kaleigh Shafer scored her second goal of the match against Wright State on Sunday to give Valparaiso the 2-1 win.
Sandwiched between the wins against former Horizon League foes were a pair of difficult losses to Ohio (5-0) and No. 15 Xavier (8-0). Eastern Michigan comes to Brown Field with a 4-1 record and the Eagles own a 3-2 victory over UIC in Chicago as well as wins over Horizon opponents Oakland, Youngstown State and Fort Wayne.
Valparaiso and Eastern Michigan tied 1-1 last year in Ypsilanti as Allie Anderson scored the equalizer in the 86th minute.
Thursday’s match will mark Valparaiso’s final home nonconference tilt of the 2024 campaign. The Beacons will travel to Northern Illinois on Sunday before opening Missouri Valley Conference play at Brown Field next Thursday against Indiana State.
Women’s Tennis vs. IU Kokomo
Friday, Sept. 13, 9 a.m., Valparaiso Tennis Complex
There’s a bit of a different feel for the Valparaiso women’s tennis program this season as it marks the first year since 2016 that a Czerwonka won’t be taking the court for the Beacons. Olivia Czerwonka ended her career as Valparaiso’s all-time leader in both singles (88) and doubles (78) victories last season. She has since taken over for her older sister Claire as Valparaiso’s new graduate assistant.
There’s still plenty of talent on the roster as evidenced by last week’s 7-0 sweep over DePauw. Moria Silva is back for her third year in a Valparaiso uniform and she leads the team at No. 1 singles. Ontario native Naomi Lalonde won her first match for the Beacons as the freshman won 6-1, 6-3 at No. 2 singles and she also combined with Silva for a 6-1 victory at No. 1 doubles. Sydney Stone had a strong debut last year after earning JUCO All-American honors in 2023 and is competing at No. 3 singles.
Valparaiso will round out the fall slate of home matches on Thursday, Sept. 19 against Holy Cross before heading to the Redbird Invitational at Illinois State on Sept. 27-29. The Valley championships and ITA Regionals are next month.
Volleyball hosting Popcorn Classic
Friday, Sept. 13, vs. Miami (Ohio), 11:30 a.m.
Friday, Sept. 13, vs. Cornell, 6 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 14, vs. Purdue Fort Wayne, 1 p.m.
The Beacons are playing their first matches of the year at the Athletics-Recreation Center after opening the season going 4-2 in a pair of tournaments in Indianapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota.
Valparaiso is bringing a mixture of youth and experience to the Popcorn Classic this weekend as veterans Elise Swistek, Sam Warren and Emma Hickey have shined to start the year while freshmen Ava Helming, Lilly Merk, Jordyn Gove, Jessica Pickett and Kadence Brummitt are quickly making a name for themselves.
Swistek leads the Beacons with 68 kills and she’s second on the team with 77 digs. Speaking of digs, Hickey became the fastest player in Valparaiso history, not to mention the Valley, to reach 1,500 career digs last weekend. Warren has 40 kills and 13 blocks and was named to the All-Tournament team at St. Thomas.
The freshmen have been the head turners in the early going as Helming announced herself to the college volleyball world by blasting 20 kills in her first match. She’s second on the team with 62 kills and third with 16 blocks. Merk leads the team with 25 blocks and 10 aces while adding 32 kills. Gove and Brummitt have been in and out of the lineup, but the pair are averaging 2.63 and 1.93 kills per set respectively. Then there is Pickett, the redshirt freshman who missed last season with a knee injury. The tallest player in program history at 6-foot-6, Pickett has 26 kills and is second on the team with 19 kills.
The Beacons won’t be back at the ARC until Oct. 4 as they travel to their final nonconference tournament in Spartanburg, South Carolina next weekend and then open Valley play on the road against Evansville and Indiana State in the final weekend of September.
Cooper Schwieger and Joe Vick signing autographs at McAfee Animal Hospital
Friday, Sept. 13, 5 p.m., McAfee Animal Hospital (651 Eastport Center Dr., Valparaiso)
Schwieger made history last season when he became the first Valparaiso player to be named the Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Year. He’s taking a break from preparations for the 2024-25 season to partner with McAfee Animal Hospital to sign autographs along with teammate Joe Vick.
Vick, a Kouts native, has a strong connection to the McAfee family stemming from a selfless act at a Valparaiso basketball camp several years ago when Vick encouraged McAfee’s grandchild to join him on the court.
Valparaiso coach Roger Powell Jr. will also attend Friday’s event at McAfee Animal Hospital.
Football vs. Indiana Wesleyan
Saturday, Sept. 14, 6:30 p.m., Brown Field
This season marks the fourth straight year that Valparaiso and Indiana Wesleyan are meeting on the gridiron and if the first three meetings are any indications, fans are in for a treat on Saturday night.
The last two games have come down to the final moments, including in 2022 when Brian Bartholomew buried a 50-yard game-winning field goal to lift the Beacons to a victory under the lights.
Saturday’s game will be Valparaiso’s lone night contest this season and it will be the first of two consecutive home games before the Beacons open up Pioneer Football League action at Morehead State on Sept. 28.
Caron Tyler is expected to start at quarterback after his breakout performance at Youngstown State last weekend, but last season’s starter Mikey Appel Jr. will be in uniform and could return for his first action since suffering a season-ending injury at Drake last October.
Saturday night will be about more than football as Valparaiso is putting on a halftime fireworks show as well as hosting multiple tailgates with food trucks and a kids area.
While you won’t catch me in the bounce house, you will see The Victory Bell all around campus this weekend. I hope to see you too.
(Photos courtesy of Valpo Athletics and Brian Chilton)