Nov. 15, 2008
Box Score
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ROMEOVILLE, Ill. – The No. 25 Flyers were down a set and trailing 16-7 to Indianapolis in the second set in a Great Lakes Volleyball Tournament Semifinal match on Saturday night. Then, like flipping a switch, the Flyers took off. Rallying to take the set and the match 3-1 (17-25, 25-23, 25-20, 25-20) the Flyers have a shot at winning a third straight GLVC Championship on Sunday with a victory over Southern Indiana at 2 p.m.
Early on the Greyhounds were digging everything, recording 26 digs in the first set. Indianapolis looked just as hot in the second set, jumping out to a 9-3 lead. A Lewis timeout couldn’t stop the Greyhounds as they eventually took a 16-7 advantage. The Flyers then scored four straight points before Indianapolis called a timeout. The stoppage did nothing to slow down the Flyers as they scored three more to make it 16-14.
“We had some huge plays,” head coach Lorelee Smith explained when asked what kick started the Flyers. “Specifically there was an amazing hustle play by (Lauren) Seliga. Anytime you get that it puts momentum on your side and makes you believe you can comeback.”
It looks like the run may be for not though as Indianapolis regrouped and was within three points of being up 2-0 after taking a 22-19 lead. But then the Flyers turned it on again, scoring five straight and earning set point at 24-22. A side out by Indianapolis only set up a block by junior Kim Richards (Evergreen Park, Ill./Mother McAuley) and sophomore Rachel Ruedi (Mahomet, Ill./Mahomet Seymour) for the dramatic and momentum changing set two win.
The Flyers took leads of 12-5 and 17-10 in the third set before setting on the five point victory. There were some anxious moments in the fourth set after Indianapolis took an early 7-4 lead. But just like in set two, a sudden Lewis spurt of eight straight points changed the momentum. The Flyers closed it out from there and earned the right to play for a third straight conference championship on their home court.
Sophomore Lauren Seliga (St. Louis, Mo./Nerinx) notched a double-double with 11 kills and 15 digs.
“Lauren calms the team down when she is in,” Smith said. “Plus for her to come in and hit offensively the way she did was a wonderful surprise.”
But the story of the match was the Flyers’ defense. Lewis held a 11-4.5 edge in blocks and notched 75 digs. Junior Sara deBuhr (Urbandale, Iowa/Urbandale) led the Flyers with six blocks.
In addition to Seliga’s 15 digs, four other Flyers hit double-digits. Senior Lauren Hatter (Avon, Ind./Avon) had a team-high 20. Ruedi added 12 digs along with 42 assists. Freshman Colleen Mitros (Mokena, Ill./Providence) recorded 10 digs.
Richards notched 11 kills. Mitros, deBuhr and senior Justina Begemann (Odessa, Mo./Odessa) each had nine kills.
Freshman Katie Crawford (Downers Grove, Ill./Downers Grove South) was subbed in to serve and fueled several Flyers’ runs.
“Each time she served she got more and more aggressive,” Smith said. “To put pressure on a team like Indy is testament to her ability to play.”
Lewis improves to 30-7, their second straight 30-win season. The Flyers also extend their win-streak over Indianapolis to six straight, including two straight victories in the GLVC Tournament.
A win tomorrow over Southern Indiana makes it 25 straight victories at home and, more significantly, a third straight GLVC Championship.
“Southern Indiana is on fire and are not playing scared,” Smith said. “We have to play the same way because they are playing great volleyball.”
Southern Indiana scored their second straight upset in a victory over Missouri-St. Louis in the first GLVC Semifinal on Saturday.
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.
##LEWIS##
