Feb. 6, 2009
Box Score
FORT WAYNE, Ind. - Senior Drew Pickering (Wauwatosa, Wis./Wauwatosa West) was unstoppable on Friday night against Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association foe IPFW. The Lewis University outside hitter tallied 19 kills and a .571 hitting percentage to lead the Flyers to a 34-32, 30-20, 30-26 sweep of the Mastodons at the Gates Sports Center.
"Drew was on fire," head coach Dan Friend said. "He got into a good grove in sets one and two and took it from there."
The match opened with a thrilling first set. Lewis jumped out to a 6-2 lead only to have the Mastodons knot it at eight. The Flyers scored the next five, with senior Billy Sahagian (Bartlett, Ill/Bartlett) recording two kills and a solo block during the run. After a kill by Pickering gave Lewis a 23-20 the Mastodons rattled off six of the next seven points to grab a 26-24 advantage. But three straight points, including a kill by sophomore Brian Muesenfechter (Florissant, Mo./Christian Brothers), gave Lewis the lead back. The teams traded points till Lewis earned set point at 30-29 on a block by Pickering and Sahagian. But two straight points by IPFW gave the Mastodons their own set point. Following a timeout, the Flyers scored twice and gave the Flyers another set point at 32-31. The sides traded points and then on the Flyers' third try senior Alex Vigansky (Kenosha, Wis./Tremper) put it away with a kill.
The Flyers cruised from there. Lewis out-hit the Mastodons .630 to .222 and opened a 17-9 lead in set two before winning by 10. In the third set, IPFW was within one at 14-13, but a 5-2 run gave the Flyers all the separation they would need. The Flyers sided out at a plus 80 percent clip in the final two sets.
Vigansky hit .500 with 11 kills. Senior Nick Perakes (Orlando, Fla./Cypress Creek) tallied 12 digs. Junior Mike Iandolo (Orlando, Fla./Long Beach State) totaled 56 assists and four digs. Sahagian added eight kills and three blocks. Muesenfechter finished with nine kills, four digs and a .444 hitting percentage. Redshirt freshman Gustavo Cintron (Delray Beach, Fla./Spanish River) added six kills and three digs.
"Brian and Gustavo did a great job off the bench," Friend said. "They put up good numbers and Brian passed well."
IPFW falls to 4-3 (1-1 MIVA). The Flyers improve to 4-2 (1-1 MIVA). It is a quick turnaround for the Flyers, as they host Grand Canyon on Saturday at 7 p.m.
