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LORETTO, Pa. – Behind an 11.5 to 2.0 blocks advantage, No. 13 Lewis men's volleyball swept Saint Francis 25-21, 25-16, 25-23 in a non-conference contest on Thursday (March 24).

The win is Lewis' fourth straight, all in three sets. It avenges a five-set loss to the Red Flash in Romeoville earlier this year. It also snaps Saint Francis' eight-match win streak, a stretch that included the Red Flash's first ever win at Penn State last week.

Senior Bobby Walsh (Chicago, Ill./Mount Carmel) led the Flyers with seven blocks. Freshman Michael Simmons (Aurora, Ill./Waubonsie Valley) recorded 14 digs. They helped Lewis out-hit Saint Francis .337 to .155.

"The guys worked really hard on the defensive end," Lewis head coach Dan Friend said. "The last time we played them I think they out-worked us, but this time we took the challenge to heart and brought it from the first serve."

Offensively, junior Trevor Weiskircher (Loves Park, Ill./Boylan Catholic) led Lewis with 13 kills on a .345 clip. Freshman Jake Walenga (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln-Way North) hit .438 with eight kills. Senior Scott Fifer (Orland Park, Ill./Sandburg) had 34 assists.

The opening set featured 13 ties and nine lead changes. A 4-0 run put the Flyers up 13-11 as the Red Flash asked for time. The Flyers asked for a timeout when Saint Francis grabbed a 20-18 lead. The break benefited the Flyers as they finished the set on a 7-1 run. Junior Jacob Schmiegelt (Lombard, Ill./Willowbrook) had a kill and a block assist in the final push.

The visitors from Romeoville controlled the second set, and most of the third. Saint Francis' best push came in the third when they erased a 22-18 deficit to tie the score at 23. The Flyers took their final timeout of the set with the score tied. They came out of the pause in play and went to Walsh, who put down a kill to give Lewis match point. Fifer took the matter into his own hands on the next play for his only kill of the match.  

Thursday's contest was the first of a back-to-back matches in Pennsylvania. Lewis travels to Penn State in a 7 p.m. ET first serve on Friday.

"We didn't talk about it, but anytime you can get a win in three on the road it puts you in a better spot going forward," Friend said of winning in three. "Especially in a back-to-back situation going against a Penn State team tomorrow that didn't play tonight."

Saint Francis falls to 13-7. Lewis improves to 15-10.