HTML Box Score /
PDF Box ScoreROMEOVILLE, Ill. – Lewis rallied from deficits of 8-5 and 13-12 in the fifth set to defeat McKendree 3-2 (25-22, 23-25, 25-19, 21-25, 15-13) on Saturday (Nov. 8) afternoon at Neil Carey Arena. The match featured 40 ties and 18 lead changes.
The teams traded wins in the first two sets, with both scores being close. Lewis rolled McKendree in the third set, leading by as many as nine points at 12-3. Lewis led the fourth set 11-6 when McKendree asked for time. The break seemed to work as the Bearcats rallied back to win the set.
The Bearcats took that energy to the fifth set and grabbed an 8-5 lead. Junior
Cassidy Parsons (Elkhart, Ind./Elkhart Memorial) put down a kill to make the score 8-6. Parsons' kill started a 4-0 run that put Lewis up 9-8. McKendree rallied back to go up 12-11 before senior
Kim Vertin (Joliet, Ill./Joliet Central) tied the match with a kill. McKendree followed with a kill of their own to go up 13-12. However little did the Bearcats know, it would be their final point of the match. Junior
Alexis Davito (Crest Hill, Ill./Lockport) tied the match for point 13 on a kill. Attack errors by McKendree resulted in points 14 and 15 for Lewis.
Parsons finished with a double-double of 15 kills and 11 digs. Vertin recorded 14 kills, junior
Morgan Cebula (Stevens Point, Wis./Stevens Point Area) added 11 kills. Davito added 10 kills and three aces. Lewis out-hit McKendree .193 to .172. Senior
Leigh Barea (Battle Creek, Mich./Harper Creek) finished with 47 assists and seven kills on 12 attack attempts. Barea became Lewis' rally scoring era assists leader in the match. She now owns 4,592 career assists. She passed Andrea Morrone's (2004-07) 4,578. Barea's total ranks second all-time in Lewis history to Karen Lawton's (1987-90) 5,010.
Davito now has 41 aces on the season, fourth most for a single season in the rally scoring era. She is three short of the rally scoring era record of Lauren Seliga's 44 in 2010.
"It took guts and confidence," Lewis head coach
Lorelee Smith said when asked what it took for her team to pull out the match. "You need all six players on the court to fight for ever ball and not give up."
McKendree falls to 18-12 (11-7 GLVC). Lewis finishes the regular season 22-6 (13-4 GLVC). Lewis returns to action on Thursday in the GLVC Tournament.
