Romeoville, Ill. - The No. 11 Lewis University men's volleyball team takes on Grand Canyon on Friday (April 18) to open the 2014 Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association Tournament with first serve is set for 7 PM at Neil Carey Arena.
LAST TIME OUT - The Flyers closed the regular season with two straight-set victories over Grand Canyon at Neil Carey Arena last weekend to earn the No. 2 seed in the MIVA Tournament.
LAST TIME WE FACED OFF - In the Flyers series sweep of Grand Canyon last weekend, Geoff Powell (Claremont, Calif./Claremont) tallied 22 kills while Bobby Walsh (Chicago, Ill./Mount Carmel) collected 16 total blocks (1 solo, 15 BA) in six sets.
SERIES DOMINANCE- Since the Antelopes joined the MIVA in 2010, Lewis has won every match up between the squads to collect a 11-0 record.
MIVA TOURNAMENT - The semifinal matches will take place on Wednesday, April 23rd, with the highest remaining seeds serving as host.
BLOCKING THE MIVA – Walsh is second in the MIVA and third in the nation averaging 1.37 blocks-per-set with 126 total blocks (16 solo, 110 BA).
PLAYER OF THE WEEK - Lucas Yanez (Burbank, Calif./John Burroughs) collected his second MIVA Defensive Player of the Week honors for the season on April 15th. In two straight-set victories over Grand Canyon last week, he collected 19 digs and had a perfect reception percentage in 19 attempts.
ALL-MIVA HONORS - Lewis had a league-high five Flyers named to the All-MIVA Teams on April 16th. BJ Boldog (Palatine, Ill./Palatine) and Powell earned first team honors, while Greg Petty (Downers Grove, Ill./Downers Grove North), Walsh and Yanez collected second team accolades.
AMONG THE NATION - Lewis moved up to second in the MIVA and second in the nation with a .335 hitting percentage (1,240 K, 402 E, 2,499 TA). The Flyers are also second in the conference and fourth nationally with a 2.87 blocks-per-set average (55 solo, 459 BA).
IN THE NATIONAL RANKS - On April 14th, the Flyers were ranked at No. 11 in the 15th installment of the 2014 AVCA Division I-II Men's Coaches Top-15 Poll. Lewis has been in the AVCA National Rankings for 62-straight weeks, dating back to Jan. 2011.
