ROMEOVILLE, Ill. – For the third time in four seasons the Lewis men's volleyball team will host a Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association Tournament contest. The opponent this year is IPFW on Friday at Neil Carey Arena in a quarterfinal match. First serve is set for 7 p.m.
Lewis and IPFW split the season series this year with each team winning on the road. Freshman setter
BJ Boldog (Palatine, Ill./Palatine) dished out 46 assists in a 3-1 victory in Fort Wayne on Feb. 18.
Matt Gallik (Evergreen Park, Ill./Brother Rice) and fellow middle hitter junior
Aaron Flick (North Ridgeville, Ohio/St. Edward) combined for 23 kills. Gallik totaled 12 while Flick had 11. Lewis dropped the opening set 25-15, only to win the next three. IPFW returned the favor by defeating Lewis 3-1 two weeks ago. Sophomore outside hitter
Jay Petty (Downers Grove, Ill./Downers Grove North) led Lewis with 19 kills. Ivan Matos and Darryl Shank each had 18 kills for IPFW.
Lewis finished the regular season by winning four of their last five matches. The Flyers recorded double-digit blocks in each contest. Lewis had 17.5 in a four set win over Ohio State on April 2. Lewis topped that total with a season-high 19.5 blocks in the final match of the regular season on Saturday at Grand Canyon.
The Flyers offense in 2011 has been boosted by a breakout season from Petty. The reigning MIVA Player of the Week led the league in points (4.69) in conference play. He finished second in kills (3.98). For the season Petty has 396 kills. He needs just four more to become the fourth Flyer in the rally scoring era (2001-present) to record 400 kills in a season.
The Lewis offense has been directed by Boldog. The freshman setter finished the regular season with 1,003 assists. His 10.45 assists per set ranks second in the conference. He is the first Lewis freshman to record 1,000 assists in a season since Doug McBride in the program's first year of 1994.
Friday's match is the first time Lewis and IPFW have met in the MIVA Tournament since 2004.
A victory by Lewis would advance the Flyers to the MIVA Semifinals for a fourth consecutive season. Lewis' opponent would be Ohio State on Wednesday, April 27 in Columbus at 6 p.m. CT.
Lewis University is a Catholic university offering distinctive undergraduate and graduate programs to more than 6,000 traditional and adult students. Lewis offers multiple campus locations, online degree programs, and a variety of formats that provide accessibility and convenience to a growing student population. Sponsored by the De La Salle Christian Brothers, Lewis prepares ethically grounded, globally aware, and socially responsible graduates. The ninth largest not-for-profit university in Illinois, Lewis has been nationally recognized by The Princeton Review and U.S. News & World Report. Visit www.lewisu.edu for further information.
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