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PDF Box ScoreROMEOVILLE, Ill. – Junior
Bobby Walsh (Chicago, Ill./Mount Carmel) hit .615 with nine kills and 12 blocks (one solo) to help No. 2 Lewis men's volleyball to a 3-1 (25-15, 26-28, 25-18, 25-20) win over Penn State on Friday (Feb. 20) evening at Neil Carey Arena.
The win is Lewis' 10
th straight victory.
The Flyers out-blocked Penn State 20.5-3.5. Walsh's 12 blocks led Lewis. Senior
Geoff Powell (Claremont, Calif./Claremont) finished with six blocks while adding 12 kills. Fellow senior outside hitter
Greg Petty (Downers Grove, Ill./Downers Grove North) also totaled 12 kills. Petty added seven digs, five block assists and two aces.
Lewis opened the match with a 10-point win in set one thanks to 7-0 run in the middle of the frame. Junior
Scott Fifer (Orland Park, Ill./Sandburg) led the push from the service line. He had an ace and two assists in the 7-0 run.
The Flyers led set two 23-22 before back-to-back PSU points gave the Nittany Lions set point at 24-23. Lewis turned away two set points but ultimately Penn State won the game 28-26.
The third set was all Lewis with the Flyers leading wire-to-wire.
Lewis won the fourth set by five points but it was after Lewis struggled out of the gates. Penn State took a quick 7-2 lead but Lewis seemed to be a different team after a timeout. The Flyers scored multiple points on seven occasions in the set to win the frame and the match. The final point came on a solo block by Walsh.
Fifer had 36 assists as he led a Lewis offense which out-hit the Nittany Lions .299 to .167. Senior
Lucas Yanez (Burbank, Calif./John Burroughs) finished with 12 digs.
Lewis' 20.5 blocks are the most for the Flyers in a contest since Lewis recorded 21.5 at Ohio State in the 2012 MIVA Championship. That contest was a five-set match. The last time Lewis recorded 20 blocks in a four-set match was Lewis' 20.5 against Saint Francis (PA) on Jan. 30, 2010.
"We made some in game changes and really put ourselves in a position to get those blocks," Lewis head coach
Dan Friend said of Lewis' blocking defense on Friday. "Bob (Walsh) anchored that and Jacob (Schmiegelt) did a great job in the middle and the team combined on the pins to put it together and put us in position to get those great touches."
The Flyers move to 12-1. Penn State falls to 4-8. Friday's win was Lewis' second over Penn State this year. Lewis returns to action next Friday (Feb. 27) against Lindenwood. Lewis' previously scheduled match tomorrow (Feb. 21) against Erskine has been postponed due to Erskine's travel issues from the wintery weather in the south.