Sept. 29, 2004

Final Stats

ROMEOVILLE, Ill.--Lewis University's Melissa Dobry capped a career performance by putting the exclamation point on a milestone evening for Flyers head coach Karen Lockyer.

Lockyer, in her 30th season as Lewis' head coach, became just the third NCAA Division II coach to win 700 matches after the Flyers beat Wisconsin-Parkside 30-17, 28-30, 30-15, 30-26.

Lockyer's 700th victory places her in elite company with Tracy Riezke (Rockhurst, 867 wins) and Peggy Martin (Central Missouri State, 932 wins) as the only members of NCAA Division II's 700 club.

"It's a reflective moment," said Lockyer after the match. "It tells you that you're doing something right; it reflects a lot of players, a lot of work and a lot of years that something you're doing works.

"I've been fortunate to have players that fit into what I want to do, and to do it at one institution the whole time is special."

Lewis (9-6, 2-3 Great Lakes Valley Conference) dominated the Rangers in games 1 and 3. The Flyers hit .394 and .400, respectively, in those games and helped set the tone for the match with the big win in game 1.

Senior Rory Harrison set the pace in the opening game knocking down five of her 10 kills in the match. Meanwhile, the Flyer defense limited Wisconsin-Parkside (5-12, 0-5 GLVC) to a .029 hitting percentage.

Following the Rangers win in game 2, Dobry enjoyed a coming out party for her Flyer career. The 5-9 outside hitter played just eight games and had five kills as a freshman, but she became the team's go-to player in game 3. Dobry recorded seven kills on eight hitting attempts for an .875 hitting percentage in the game. For the night, she tied for the team high with 13 kills and added two service aces and five digs.

"I talked to the team earlier this week and told them that I need an outside hitter who can terminate and drive to the ball," said Lockyer. "When I told Melissa that I was going to give her a shot, she said `I'm ready.'"

Dobry, who earned her first collegiate start, helped lead a contingent of four Flyers that had at least 10 kills. Junior Rochelle Ruen tied Dobry for team-high honors with 13 kills, while Theresa Nugent had 12 kills.

For the match, the Flyers hit .258 compared to Parkside's .107. Lewis also had a 12-9 edge in blocks and an 8-7 lead in service aces.