/ Box Score (pdf)

Chicago, Ill. – The No. 10 Lewis University men's volleyball team's season came to an end on Tuesday (April 29) with a 3-1 (25-27, 25-19, 23-25, 19-25) at the hands of No. 12 Penn State in the 2014 NCAA Championship Tournament at Loyola's Gentile Arena.
 
The Flyers complete the year with a 23-8 record while Nittany Lions improve to 25-6 on the season.
 
"Just like the last time we played them, it was a back-and-forth match," Lewis head men's volleyball coach Dan Friend said. "Penn State had a great match. We out-blocked them but they had about 20 more kills and out dug us."
 
The Flyers offense was led by junior opposite Eric Fitterer (Edwardsville, Ill./Edwardsville) with a .360 hitting percentage, collecting 13 kills and four errors on 25 attempts, as well as four digs and three block assists. Junior outside hitter Geoff Powell (Claremont, Calif./Claremont) tallied 13 putaways while fellow outside hitter Greg Petty (Downers Grove, Ill./Downers Grove North) collected 12 kills, nine digs and five block assists.
 
Redshirt senior setter BJ Boldog (Palatine, Ill./Palatine) dished out 41 assists while redshirt freshman middle blocker Jacob Schmiegelt (Lombard, Ill./Willowbrook) tallied eight block assists.
 
The Flyers opened the first set to score the match's first three points. The Nittany Lions came back with an 8-4 run and held a lead until the Flyers were able to knot the set at 18 on a block assist by sophomore middle blocker Bobby Walsh (Chicago, Ill./Mount Carmel) and Petty. The squads exchanged seven more ties before Penn State was able to collect two straight points on a Lewis miscue and an ace by Aaron Russell to take the set.
 
Lewis rebounded to take the second set, hitting .292 with 11 kills and four errors on 24 attempts while holding Penn State to a .109 hitting percentage (14 K, 10 E, 38 TA). The Flyers also out-blocked the Nittany Lions 5.5 to 2.5. Penn State's setter Taylor Hammond had a floor-high 61 assists.
 
In the third set the Flyers were able to chip away at the Nittany Lions five point lead at 15-10 to tie the match at 19. The Flyers collected four kills by Fitterer and one from Powell, as well as a block assist from Petty and Schmiegelt and three Penn State errors during the run. The squads were knotted up three more times, last at 23, before the Nittany Lions got a kill from Peter Russell and a block assist from Aaron Russell and Matt Callaway to take the set.
 
Penn State extended their momentum as the Flyers couldn't find a rhythm in the fourth set. The Nittany Lions swung at a .464 (18 K, 5 E, 28 TA) clip while Lewis only had 10 kills and two errors on 23 attempts for a .348 hitting percentage.
 
The Penn State offense that hit .297 (66 K, 28 E, 128 TA) was led by Aaron Russell's 20 putaways and nine digs, while Nick Goodell chipped in 18 kills. Peter Russell tallied 15 kills and six digs.