LEBANON, Ill. – The 22nd ranked Lewis women's volleyball team ran its winning streak to five with a sweep at McKendree on Saturday afternoon. Elizabeth Hyland (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield Central) finished with match-high 14 kills while Caroline Stefanon (Orland Park, Ill./Carl Sandburg) added nine kills.

The Flyers (21-6, 12-3 GLVC) got off to a slow start trailing by as many as four points in the opening set. They responded with a 7-1 to take a 16-14 lead. Ava Venema (Westmont, Ill./Timothy Christian) and Colleen Wilhelm (Euclid, Ohio/Lake Catholic) teamed up for a pair of blocks in the run while Hyland, Wilhelm and Morgan Goodman (Cedar Hills, Mo./Home) each added a kill.

The set was tied at 20 when Lewis gained some separation scoring three out of four points to grab a 23-21 lead behind kills from Hyland, Venema and Stefanon. Wilhelm gave the Flyers two set points recording a kill from Becker. The Bearcats (14-13, 8-7 GLVC) got back to within 24-23 before Stefanon ended the set with a kill.

The Flyers used a 10-5 midway through the middle frame to extend their lead from 12-10 to 22-15. Hyland had four kills in that run while Venema added two and Goodman and Wilhelm contributed one each. Lewis led by as many as eight points in the stanza but McKendree was able to trim the deficit to six before the Flyers closed it out 25-18 after a service error from Alex Tinnin.

The final set was even at five when Lewis began to pull away thanks to an 8-2 run. Hyland and Alexandra Preuss (Elmhurst, Ill./York) each had a pair of kills in that run while Wilhelm added another one. The Bearcats cut the lead to 18-13 after a service error from Preuss but wouldn't get any closer as The Flyers ended the match scoring seven of the final 12 points to win 25-18 to complete the sweep.

Lewis finished the match with 42 kills and hit .203 but really heated up in sets two and three hitting .306 (27 kills/8 errors/62 total attacks). Wilhelm finished the match with five kills and seven total blocks. Abby Becker (Menomonee Falls, Wis./Menomonee Falls) dished out 31 assists and added 13 digs.

McKendree was led by McKenna Ross who had 10 kills while Morgan Melchert dished out 26 assists and Tinnin and Melchert each finished with 12 digs. The Lewis defense held the Bearcats to a .105 hitting percentage for the match.

The Flyers play their final home contest of the season this Tuesday hosting Indianapolis at 7 p.m. The team will honor their seniors prior to the match.