ROMEOVILLE, Ill. – No. 2 seed Lewis men's volleyball hosts No. 3 seed Loyola-Chicago on Wednesday (April 25) at 7 p.m. in a 2012 Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association Tournament Semifinal Match.
 
The seventh-ranked Flyers and 13^th-ranked Ramblers have met twice this season, splitting the two meetings. Lewis swept the Feb. 11 meeting at Neil Carey Arena 37-35, 25-19, 25-20. The first set featured 20 ties and eight lead changes. Juniors Ian Karbiener (Orlando, Fla./Olympia) (Orlando, Fla./Olympia) and Jay Petty (Downers Grove, Ill./Downers Grove North) (Downers Grove, Ill./Downers Grove North) each recorded 14 kills and six digs. Lewis out-hit the Ramblers .363 to .145.
 
The second matchup, on March 27 at Loyola, started well for the Flyers with Lewis taking the first two sets. However, the Ramblers rallied back to win the next three sets and win the contest 3-2. Petty finished with 17 kills for the Flyers. Joseph Smalzer was the man of the match for the Ramblers, hitting .370 with 26 kills.
 
Wednesday's match will not only break the season series tie but also send the winner to the 2012 MIVA Championship match on Saturday, April 28. Should Lewis win and No. 1 seed Ohio State defeat No. 5 seed Ball State on Wednesday, Lewis would travel to Ohio State for the title match. A Lewis win combined with a Ball State win and the Flyers host the 2012 MIVA Championship.
 
Wednesday's contest will be the second meeting in three years in the MIVA Semifinals. The Ramblers defeated Lewis 30-26, 30-23 and 30-18 in 2010 at Loyola.

The Flyers (24-6) swept Quincy in the MIVA Quarterfinals last week. Loyola (19-11) defeated IPFW in four sets to advance to the MIVA Semifinals.