LOS ANGELES, Calif. – The Lewis University women's volleyball team picked up a pair of wins on Saturday (Sept. 5) during the final day of Cal State Los Angeles' Tournament. Lewis defeated Seattle Pacific 3-0 (25-17, 25-22, 25-17) and Dixie State 3-1 (19-25, 25-20, 27-25, 25-23).

Lewis 3, Seattle Pacific 0 (PDF Box / HTML Box)
The Flyers cruised to the straight-sets victory thanks to a .323 to .075 hitting percentage. Freshman McKenna Pierson (Ankeny, Iowa/Ankeny Centennial) had 20 assists while redshirt freshman Abby Becker (Menomonee Falls, Wis./Monomonee Falls) totaled 13 assists. They ran an offense which saw five Flyers record six or more kills. Freshman Elizabeth Hyland (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield Central) had eight kills to go with her 11 digs. Senior Cassidy Parsons (Elkhart, Ind./Elkhart Memorial) notched nine kills and eight digs.

Lewis out-blocked Seattle Pacific 12-2 with sophomore Aly Schneider (Granger, Ind./Penn) notching eight blocks (four solo).

The match had only eight ties and two lead changes. Both lead changes came early in the first set.

Lewis 3, Dixie State 1 (PDF Box/ HTML Box)
The Flyers bounced back from an opening game setback to win the next three games. Where Lewis' early match lacked drama, the Dixie State match had 28 ties and 11 lead changes.

The Flyers held a 21-19 lead in the third set, only to see Dixie State push back to tie it at 23 and earn set point at 25-24. A Dixie State service error and a Parsons kill gave Lewis set point. Dixie State Delayne Daniel tried the corner on an attack attempt on the next point and missed to give Lewis point 27 and the win.

A 7-2 run in the fourth set put the Flyers up 19-13. A victory seemed imminent but then Dixie State went on a 7-0 run. However Dixie State's 21-20 lead was brief. Parsons gave Lewis match point thanks to a kill for point 24 and then junior Nicole Yuede (St. Charles, Mo./Francis Howell North) dropped a serve in the middle of the court for an ace and point 25.  

Yuede finished with 23 digs. Hyland led Lewis offensively with 17 kills. Parsons hit .393 with 14 kills while adding 13 digs.

"As a team they are doing a great job of making adjustments when I constantly throw in new lineups," Lewis head coach Lorelee Smith said. "I am hoping chemistry will continue to improve so wins can come easier."

The wins move Lewis to 3-1. Dixie State is 2-2. Seattle Pacific is 1-3.

Lewis continues play on Friday and Saturday in the Flyer Festival. The tournament hosted by Lewis will be held at Neil Carey Arena with matches starting at 8 a.m. both days.