Oct. 10, 2008
Box Score
ST. LOUIS – Despite losing the first two sets and trailing 6-2 in the fifth, No. 18 Lewis never stopped fighting on Friday evening at Great Lakes Valley Conference foe Missouri-St. Louis. The Flyers’ perseverance paid off as Lewis rallied to win their 16th straight match in a 3-2 (20-25, 25-27, 25-20, 25-23, 15-13) decision.
“The girls just never lose faith. Whether on the bench or on the court they keep cheering and stay positive,” Lorelee Smith said regarding her 7-1 record in five set matches as Lewis head coach.
The Tritons took control of set one with a 5-1 run that turned a tie score into an 18-14 UMSL lead. Set two was tight the entire way. Lewis held a slim 19-17 lead on a kill by senior Justina Begemann (Odessa, Mo./Odessa), but the Tritons responded with three straight points to take a lead of their own. It went back and forth down the stretch, with Lewis fighting off two set points before the Tritons finally won on a kill by Kelsie Rankin.
With the Flyers a set away from being swept, Lewis used a 6-1 run to turn a 14 all score into a five-point lead and cruise to the victory.
The Tritons grabbed early momentum in the fourth set by scoring the first four points. But Lewis didn’t give up, and eventually tied it at 10 on a block by sophomore Rachel Ruedi (Mahomet, Ill./Mahomet Seymour) and junior Sara deBuhr (Urbandale, Iowa/Urbandale). Lewis then grabbed the lead at 11-10 on a block by deBuhr and sophomore Lauren Seliga (St. Louis, Mo./Nerinix). But the Tritons recovered to take leads of 17-16 and 19-18 before the Flyers scored three straight. The trio of points was highlighted by two kills by deBuhr.
“deBuhr plays so smart. She knows what is open and goes for it,” Smith said.
The Flyers took a 24-21 lead on an ace by senior Jackie Eichorst (Chicago, Ill./Immaculate Heart of Mary) and looked like they may cruise to the fifth set. Then the Tritons scored the next two to make it tight. But the third set point was the charm for Lewis, as sophomore Danielle Mount (Crest Hill, Ill./Lockport) notched a kill to set up the fifth set.
It looked grim for Lewis after the Tritons took a 6-2 lead in set five. But the Flyers kept chipping at the lead and eventually tied it at 10 on a kill by junior Stephanie Sagat (Darien, Ill./Hinsdale South). The Flyers scored the next two to take a 12-10 lead before UMSL responded by knotting it back up at 12 and 13. A Sagat kill gave Lewis match point at 14-13, and the Flyers took advantage. Begemann and Seliga combined for a block and gave Lewis the thrilling comeback win.
Sagat finished with a double-double of 13 kills and 17 digs. Seliga finished with 17 digs and six kills.
“Both of outsides (Sagat and Seliga) were scouted. Missouri-St. Louis tried to shut them down, but they shook it off and didn’t stress out.” Smith said. “Even if their numbers don’t look great, they did what they could do to benefit the team.”
deBuhr hit .600 with a team-high 14 kills. Begemann added 12 kills and 11 digs. Senior Lauren Hatter (Avon, Ind./Avon) also hit double-digit digs with 15.
“Hatter dug more area than she’s dug all year,” Smith said. “She played solid defense, serve/received well and did everything else. I’m proud of her.”
Ruedi was two kills short of a triple-double, notching career highs of 52 assists and 15 digs with eight kills.
“I think Ruedi forced things in the first two sets,” Smith said. “But in sets three to five she played smart and composed.”
Mount finished with seven blocks (one solo) and nine kills.
The Flyers are now 17-3 (9-0 GLVC). The Tritons fall to 16-4 (10-2 GLVC). Lewis is at Missouri S&T Saturday afternoon.
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A Catholic University sponsored by the De La Salle Christian Brothers, Lewis offers nearly 80 undergraduate majors and programs of study, accelerated degree completion options for working adults, various aviation programs and 22 graduate programs in nine fields. The mid-sized university is being honored for the fifth consecutive year by The Princeton Review and U.S. News & World Report. For more information please visit
www.lewisu.edu.
