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BIG RAPIDS, Mich. – No. 20 in the nation and third seeded Lewis women's volleyball used a 3-1 (25-21, 28-26, 18-25, 25-20) decision to defeat sixth seeded Grand Valley State on Thursday (Dec. 3) in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Midwest Regional. The match was played at Wink Arena on the campus of Ferris State University.

The win advances Lewis to the NCAA Midwest Region Semifinals on Friday (Dec. 4). The Flyers will play second seeded Rockhurst at 7:30 p.m. ET. The Flyers defeated the Hawks 3-2 in the semifinals of the conference tournament two weeks ago.

Lewis jumped out to a 9-1 lead in the opening set thanks to back-to-back aces by senior Alexis Davito (Crest Hill, Ill./Lockport).

The second set was a different story, as Lewis trailed nearly the entire game. It was 17-13 deficit when Lewis took their first timeout. It was 24-21 when the Flyers called their second. The final timeout sure seemed to work. Two kills by sophomore Aly Schneider (Granger, Ind./Penn) and an attack error tied the set at 24. Out of the break, GVSU couldn't handle a serve by freshman Elizabeth Hyland (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield Central) to put the Flyers up 25-24. GVSU turned away a pair of Lewis set points before a GVSU attack error gave the frame to the Flyers.

"Serving aggressive was huge as we got them out of system on the first play," Lewis head coach Lorelee Smith said when asked on the key to the second-set comeback. "Then you gain all this confidence because it is 23-24 and everybody thinks we can do it. Then it came down to playing some defense and transitioning."

After dropping the third, Lewis opened the fourth set nearly the same way they did the first with a quick 6-0 advantage. Lewis never trailed in the frame as they closed out the match on a kill by sophomore Maddie Seliga (St. Louis, Mo./Nerinx Hall).
 
Schneider had a match-high 16 kills with a .353 attack percentage while adding four blocks (one solo). Hyland turned in 12 kills and nine digs. They were two of five Flyers with six or more kills.
 
"We've kinda been that way all year," Lorelee Smith said of her team's balanced offensive attack. "We run a 6-2 and have six hitters on the court at all times and you just never know who is going to be on or the other team is going to focus on."

Junior Nicole Yuede (St. Charles, Mo./Francis Howell North) and Seliga each had 19 digs. In the match, Yuede set a new school record for digs in a single season with 657. She passed the 638 Ashlee Lindish recorded in 2007.

Grand Valley State ends their season 20-12. Lewis improves to 31-4.