Nov. 16, 2008
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ROMEOVILLE, Ill. - Call it a three-peat, call it back-to-back-to-back, call it a dynasty. Call it what you will, but one thing is for sure: the Flyers are the Great Lakes Valley Conference volleyball champions for the third straight season. The 3-0 (25-14, 25-17, 25-22) victory over Southern Indiana in front of a rowdy home crowd on Sunday afternoon was Lewis' 25th straight home victory dating back to last season.
The Flyers dominated the Screaming Eagles with defense. Senior Lauren Hatter (Avon, Ind./Avon) saved her best for last, recording 31 digs. Her big day marked the most digs in a three-set match in the GLVC this season.
"Lauren played like an All-American libero today," head coach Lorelee Smith said. "I was completely impressed with her. Dig after dig she kept coming up huge."
Junior Sara deBuhr (Urbandale, Iowa/Urbandale) led the Flyers with 10 kills and a .588 hitting percentage. But it was a team effort offensively. Junior Stephanie Sagat (Darien, Ill/Hinsdale South) had 10 kills and junior Kim Richards (Evergreen Park, Ill./Mother McAuley) recorded nine. Each got the Flyers going with five kills apiece in the first set. Senior Justina Begemann (Odessa, Mo./Odessa) notched seven kills. Half of freshman Colleen Mitros (Mokena, Ill./Providence Catholic)' (Mokena, Ill./Providence) six kills came in the second set.
"Everybody at different times stepped up so it had to make it difficult on them," Smith said. "Just when they thought they knew who to key in on, someone else stepped up."
The linchpin of the offensive attack was sophomore setter Rachel Ruedi (Mahomet, Ill./Mahomet Seymour). She finished with 36 assists, six digs and three kills.
With Neil Carey Arena rocking, the Flyers started set one strong with a 6-2 lead. It was 17-12 until five straight Lewis points gave the Flyers a 22-12 advantage.
Southern Indiana made their best push of the match in the second, grabbing a 7-2 lead. But Lewis responded with seven straight points to take a 9-7 lead. The score was 13-11 when Lewis went on a 9-1 run to put the set away.
Set three was the closest, featuring eight ties and three lead changes. But after a USI block gave them a 13-12 advantage, the Screaming Eagles would never lead again. The Flyers scored eight of the next 11 points to take a 20-16 lead. The Flyers earned championship point on a block by deBuhr and Sagat at 24-19. Three Screaming Eagles' points made things a little nerve-wracking, but when deBuhr's final attack attempt hit the court, so did the students and the Lewis' bench to celebrate a GLVC Championship.
"This team plays well with a crowd, and I don't even know where to begin to say thank you." Smith said. "They kept cheering and were so positive."
The Screaming Eagles' season ends at 18-15. Lewis improves to 31-7. The championship is Smith's second straight title. Her two-year record at Lewis now stands at 63-11, including a 32-1 home mark.
"When the match ended, I was speechless." Smith said. "Then I saw my team and I cried. We wanted to go out and win it on our home court and we did it."
The Flyers earn a third straight berth in the NCAA Tournament. Lewis will learn their opponent Sunday evening.
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.
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