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Romeoville, Ill. – The No. 7 Lewis University men's volleyball team's 13-match win streak was ended by a 3-1 (25-23, 25-16, 12-25, 27-25) loss to Loyola on Wednesday (March 13) at Neil Carey Arena.  
 
The Flyers move to 14-6 on the season and 8-1 in MIVA play while the Ramblers improve to 11-8 on the year and 4-3 in the conference.
 
“Loyola did a nice job putting serving pressure on us,” Lewis head men's volleyball Dan Friend said. “It took us a little bit for us to adjust. Offensively, we weren't in a great rhythm all night.”
 
Redshirt sophomore outside hitter Geoff Powell (Claremont, Calif./Claremont) led all players with 20 kills, seven block assists and five digs. Junior middle hitter Yiwei Zhou (Nanjing, China/Nanjing No. 1) tallied nine total blocks, including one solo block, of the Flyers' 31 total blocks.
 
Loyola won the first set, tallying 15 kills and picking up 4.5 team blocks while holding the Flyers to a .111 hitting clip, allowing only 10 kills and capitalizing on seven errors.
 
The visitors kept the pressure on the Flyers in the second set, using a five-point run to expand their lead to 22-13 late. The Flyers dropped the set, 25-16, as they only earned six kills in 21 attempts to hit -.143.  
 
Powell caught fire in the third set, connecting on five kills in seven attempts and picked up four block assists. Redshirt senior outside hitter Jay Petty (Downers Grove, Ill./Downers Grove North) helped extend the lead to nine at 18-9, tallying two service aces and a kill during the Flyers' six point run. Sophomore Greg Petty (Downers Grove, Ill./Downers Grove North) and Zhou each earned a block while Powell picked up a block assist during the run. Lewis closed out the set on a 7-3 run, earning 3.5 of the eight team blocks in the set, capitalizing on four Loyola errors and getting kills from Greg Petty (Downers Grove, Ill./Downers Grove North) and Powell.
 
In the fourth set, Powell paced the Flyers with 11 kills as the squads jockeyed for the lead. Lewis was able to erase multiple mini runs by Loyola to tie the set at 19-all. Zhou picked up a solo block to give the Flyers a 24-23 lead, but the Ramblers scored four of the next five points to win the set.  
 
Joseph Smalzer led the Ramblers with 15 kills while Thomas Jaeschke chipped in 12 kills and seven digs.  
 
Lewis returns to the court on Saturday (March 16), when the squad hosts St. Francis (Pa.) at Neil Carey Arena. First serve on Leprechaun Night is set for 7 PM.