No. 1 in the nation Lewis men's volleyball (24-2) opens the 2015 Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association Tournament on Saturday (April 24) as the top seed. The Flyers host No. 8 seed Grand Canyon (14-16) in a 7 p.m. first serve at Neil Carey Arena in the quarterfinals.

VS THE LOPES – Lewis is 11-0 all-time against Grand Canyon. That record includes a pair of wins this season.

VS THE LOPES IN THE MIVA TOURNAMENT – The 11-0 record also includes a pair of sweeps in the 2013 and 2014 MIVA Tournament. In those two previous MIVA Tournament matches vs. Grand Canyon, Greg Petty (Downers Grove, Ill./Downers Grove North) has averaged 2.50 kills per set with a .350 hitting percentage. Geoff Powell (Claremont, Calif./Claremont) has recorded 5.33 kills per set with a hitting percentage of .443. The Flyers have held Grand Canyon to a .149 hitting percentage in those two contests.

TOURNAMENT TIME – The Flyers are 10-6 under Dan Friend in MIVA Tournament contests.

WASTE NO TIME - The Flyers have swept their first match of the MIVA Tournament three years in a row.

WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BE #1? – Lewis earned the No. 1 ranking in the AVCA NCAA DI-II Top 15 Poll on Monday. It is the first time Lewis has been the No. 1 team in the nation during the season since 1999.

POLLING PLACE – The Flyers have been ranked in the AVCA Top 15 Poll for 83 consecutive polls. That is a total of 220 calendar weeks. The last poll without the Flyers ranked on it was Jan. 31, 2011.

GREAT WALSH OF LEWIS - Bobby Walsh (Chicago, Ill./Mount Carmel) finished the regular season ranked number one in the nation in blocks per set with 1.55.

BLOCK PARTY - As a team, Lewis is ranked number one nationally in blocks per set with 3.41. No other team is averaging 3.00 blocks per set.

KEEP THE BROOMS AT HOME – It has been two full years since the Flyers have been swept in a match. Lewis' last loss in three sets came April 13, 2013 at IPFW. It is a streak of 59 consecutive matches without being swept.

ALL-CONFERENCE CALL – Geoff Powell (Claremont, Calif./Claremont), Greg Petty (Downers Grove, Ill./Downers Grove North), Bobby Walsh (Chicago, Ill./Mount Carmel), Lucas Yanez (Burbank, Calif./John Burroughs) and Eric Fitterer (Edwardsville, Ill./Edwardsville) were named to the 2015 All-MIVA First Team. Scott Fifer (Orland Park, Ill./Sandburg) was named to the All-MIVA Second Team. It is the first time in MIVA history five players from the same team have made the All-MIVA First Team. The Flyers account for half of the 10 All-MIVA First Team honorees. Lewis' six total All-MIVA selections are the most in a single season in program history.

IT'S A MAJOR AWARD – Lewis' head coach Dan Friend was named the 2015 MIVA Coach of the Year. It is the first time in Friend's career he has earned the honor.

HOW SWEEP IT IS – Lewis has 15 sweeps this season. The Flyers' next 3-0 win will match the single-season high during the Dan Friend era. Lewis won 16 matches in three sets in 2012.

ONCE, TWICE… SIX TIMES – Lewis earned six MIVA Player of the Week awards this season.

HOME COOKING – Lewis is 12-0 at home this season. The last time Lewis finished a season, including postseason play, undefeated at home was 2012 when Lewis went 16-0.

HOME COURT ADVANTAGE – Lewis is 55-5 (.917) at Neil Carey Arena since 2012. The 2012 season was the freshman year for this squad's senior class meaning the seniors have only lost five times at home in their careers.

ALREADY A RECORD – The fewest losses by a Lewis team in program history is the 1996's 31-5 mark. Lewis can only add two more losses to their ledger this year, in the MIVA and NCAA Tournaments. This means the 2015 team will set a record for fewest losses in a season no matter what happens in the postseason.

THEY CALL IT A STREAK – The Flyers' loss at Ohio State earlier this season ended a 13-match win streak for the Flyers. It matched the longest win streak during the Dan Friend era. The 2013 Flyers also won 13 matches in a row.

A WIN AND... – Should Lewis defeat Grand Canyon on Saturday, Lewis will host the winner of No. 5 Lindenwood and No. 4 IPFW on Tuesday (April 28) at 7 p.m. at Neil Carey Arena in the MIVA Semifinals.

PLEASE NOTE – For All MIVA Tournament games, Lewis faculty and staff will be required to buy a ticket. Lewis students are still free with an ID.