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Muncie, Ind. – The No. 9 Lewis University men's volleyball team was out-blocked 11.5 to 4.0 as the Flyers fell 3-1 (25-18, 24-26, 25-18, 25-15) to No. 15 Ball State on Thursday (April 11) in Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association action at Worthen Arena.
 
The Flyers move to 19-8 on the year and 10-3 in MIVA play while the Cardinals improve to 19-5 on the season and 8-5 in conference action.
 
“Ball State played very good volleyball tonight,” Lewis head men's volleyball coach Dan Friend said. “We have struggled a bit when we play in big arenas and we weren't able to regroup.
 
“We have to get back to the basics, execute and eliminate unforced errors.”
 
Redshirt senior outside hitter Jay Petty (Downers Grove, Ill./Downers Grove North) (Downers Grove, Ill./Downers Grove North) led the Flyers with 12 kills, eight digs and 1.5 blocks. Freshman middle hitter Bobby Walsh (Chicago, Ill./Mount Carmel) (Chicago, Ill./Mount Carmel) picked up three block assists and five kills while redshirt junior setter BJ Boldog (Palatine, Ill./Palatine) (Palatine, Ill./Palatine) tallied 41 assists, five kills, and four digs.
 
Despite getting more kills than the Cardinals in the first set, the Flyers were unable to get on a roll offensively. In the set victory, Ball State held Lewis to a .182 hitting percentage (14 kills, 8 errors, 33 total attempts) while hitting at a .450 clip (10 kills, 1 error, 20 attempts) and registering 4.5 team blocks.
 
Lewis battled back from 24-20 to go on a six-point run to take the second set. Sophomore outside hitter Greg Petty (Downers Grove, Ill./Downers Grove North) (Downers Grove, Ill./Downers Grove North) led the Flyers' offensive run, picking up all three of his kills of the set and a block assist with Walsh. Sophomore opposite Eric Fitterer (Edwardsville, Ill./Edwardsville) (Edwardsville, Ill./Edwardsville) also picked up a service ace as the Flyers capitalized on a Ball State attack error during the run.
 
The Flyers were unable to hold on to the momentum in the third set, as they only hit at a .147 clip (14 kills, 9 errors, 34 attempts) while Ball State put together a .353 hitting percentage (9 kills, 3 errors, 17 attempts). Lewis' Jay Petty (Downers Grove, Ill./Downers Grove North) picked up five of his 12 kills and a solo block during the set.
 
In the fourth set, the Cardinals held the Flyers to a -.065 hitting percentage (7 kills, 9 errors, 31 attempts) and out-blocked the Flyers, 4-1, in the set victory.
 
Ball State's Jamion Hartley posted a match-high 20 kills, while teammate Graham McIlvaine tallied 39 assists and seven digs.
 
The Flyers close out the regular season at IPFW on Saturday (April 13) in Fort Wayne, Ind. First serve at the Hilliard Gates Sports Center is set for 7 PM ET.