Aug. 29, 2003

ROMEOVILLE, Ill. - The Lewis University women's volleyball team won its season opener 3-0 over Armstrong Atlantic State, but lost 0-3 to South Dakota State on the first day of the Flyer Festival.

Coming out a little timid, Lewis (1-1) fell behind 18-8 in game 1 of its match with AASU (0-2). However, the Flyers overcame their first-match jitters and composed themselves. The result was a run that outscored the Pirates 22-6 for the remainder of the game. Lewis went on to win the match 30-24, 30-24, 30-22.

"We came out very nervous," said Lewis head coach Karen Lockyer. "I told the team that we just needed to play our game and not worry about what Armstrong was doing. We took a while to gel, but once we did, we kept things going for the rest of the match."

Freshman Sarah McKinney came off the bench to provide the team with a spark. McKinney recorded seven kills and a .467 hitting percentage and was a key contributor in the game 1 comeback.

Senior Katie Gilman provided a steady season-opening match recording 13 kills, three service aces, five digs, three blocks and a .345 hitting percentage. Rory Harrison added 12 kills and three blocks, while freshman Theresa Nugent posted 11 kills and six digs in her collegiate debut.

South Dakota State (3-0) topped the Flyers 30-22, 30-24, 30-28. Laura Hegerle's match-high 18 kills and Wendy O'Neil's 16 kills led the Jackrabbits. Alissa Tepley recorded a match-high 20 digs and setter Stephanie Behm handed out 47 assists.

The Flyers struggled to find a rhythm against SDSU and were held to a .095 hitting percentage in the match. McKinney led the team with 11 kills, while Gilman registered nine kills and 12 digs. Harrison (six kills, five blocks) also contributed to the Flyer cause.

Lewis will conclude play in its season-opening tournament with matches against Florida Tech (10 a.m.) and Hillsdale (2 p.m.) Saturday afternoon.