ROMEOVILLE, Ill. – The 23rd ranked Lewis women's volleyball team defeated 14th ranked Rockhurst 3-1 on Saturday afternoon in the NCAA Showcase Match at Neil Carey Arena. The Flyers (18-6, 9-3 GLVC) hit .213 for the match and recorded 64 kills.

"It was such an honor that our match was selected for the NCAA Showcase," Lewis women's volleyball head coach Lorelee Smith said. "The experience was amazing for both the fans and players. I also can't think of another team we would enjoy the experience with as much. Rockhurst is always a strong, respectful program with an exceptionally gifted group of players and coaches.

"I am very proud of our team," Smith continued. "They fought hard and stepped up in pressure moments. With a quality win like this they can take pride in themselves. Hopefully, we can carry this momentum the rest of the season."

Lewis opened the match on a 10-2 run and never trailed in the opening frame. The Hawks (22-5, 10-3 GLVC) cut the deficit to two on a couple of occasions but the Flyers never let them get closer than that. Rockhurst got the deficit to 20-18 but Lewis closed the set out scoring five of the final seven points to win 25-20. Colleen Wilhelm (Euclid, Ohio/Lake Catholic), Morgan Goodman (Cedar Hills, Mo./Home), Ava Venema (Westmont, Ill./Timothy Christian) and Caroline Stefanon (Orland Park, Ill./Carl Sandburg) combined for 15 of the team's 18 kills in the set.

The Flyers took the early lead in the second stanza but the Hawks fought back and held the lead for the majority of the set. Lewis evened things up at 17 on a kill from Stefanon but Rockhurst countered with four straight points to take control. The Flyers fought back to within 24-22 but were unable to complete the comeback falling 25-22.

Lewis built a seven-point lead midway through the swing set but the Hawks fought back to within 16-12 after back-to-back kills from Emily Matio. The Flyers answered right back by scoring five of the next seven point to regain its seven-point advantage. Rockhurst fought back to within 22-18 after a kill from Mary Rolf but Lewis was able to close it out scoring three of the final five points to win 25-20.

The fourth set featured nine ties and three lead changes with the two sides going back-and-forth. The Flyers led 12-9 but the Hawks came back to take an 18-17 lead thanks to a 9-5 run. Lewis still trailed at 19-18 when they took control with a 6-1 run to get to match point. Rockhurst staved off two match points before the Flyers closed it out with a kill from Elizabeth Hyland (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield Central).

Hyland led four Lewis players in double figures with 15 kills while Stefanon and Wilhelm added 11 kills each and Morgan Goodman (Cedar Hills, Mo./Home) chipped in with 10. Abby Becker (Menomonee Falls, Wis./Menomonee Falls) handed out 48 assists and Ronni Katarzynski (Winfield, Ill./West Chicago) had 25 digs.

Karli Reichert led Rockhurst with a match-high 18 kills while Alyssa Woodman added 11. Dani Prusha distributed 27 assists and Kalie Arnold had a match-high 36 digs.

The Flyers conclude their homestand on Tuesday hosting Maryville at 7 p.m.