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STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – Thanks to a 12.5-2.0 advantage in blocks, No. 2 Lewis men's volleyball earned a 3-1 (25-18, 18-25, 25-22, 25-20) victory at No. 15 Penn State on Saturday (Jan. 25) evening. The win is Lewis head coach Dan Friend's first at Penn State since taking over the Lewis program in 2005.
 
Senior Eric Fitterer (Edwardsville, Ill./Edwardsville) recorded a double-double with 13 kills and 11 digs while adding five blocks (one solo). Senior Geoff Powell (Claremont, Calif./Claremont) was a dig short of a double-double of his own after pitching in 14 kills and nine digs with two aces. It was senior Greg Petty (Downers Grove, Ill./Downers Grove North) leading the Lewis offense with 18 kills. They helped the Flyers out-hit the Nittany Lions .380 to .303.

The match had only five lead changes, with four coming in the third set. After Lewis easily won the first set and Penn State responded in the second, the third featured the most drama. Penn State grabbed a 7-4 lead after Aaron Russell notched two aces during a 4-0 run. The Flyers cut the lead to one at 13-12, only to see Penn State build it back to three points at 15-12. It was at 16-16 when Lewis finally caught up on an ace by Petty. The teams traded points until a pair of 3-0 runs put Lewis up 21-19 and 24-20. It was all the cushion the Flyers would need.

"Lucas (Yanez) had a big dig for us out of the middle in that third set and it was a big momentum shift," Friend said. "We were able to put some points together and capitalize."

Lewis closed the match by winning the fourth set by five points. The Flyers held leads of 4-1 and 12-7 and never let the Nittany Lions back in the contest by siding out on 19-of-20 opportunities in the fourth set.

"We played a real crisp set four and the guys passed great," Friend said. "To close out a team that ended our season last year with a great team effort under pressure is fantastic."

Lewis improves to 6-1 while Penn State falls to 0-6.

"Winning here (at Penn State) is another first for this group that's already done a lot," Friend said. "The best thing is everyone on this team is hungry and wants to get better. That type of fight is critical."

The Flyers return to the court on Friday (Jan. 30) when they host Barton in a 7 p.m. first serve at Neil Carey Arena.