ROMEOVILLE, Ill. – The eighth ranked Lewis University men's volleyball team opened Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association play with a sweep of Lindenwood on Friday evening at Neil Carey Arena. The win was the seventh in a row for the Flyers (7-3, 1-0 MIVA).
The first set was tight early but Lewis used a 6-3 run to build a five-point lead by the halfway point of the frame. The Lions (6-4, 1-2 MIVA) fought back though cutting the Flyer lead to 20-17 after a kill from Michael Jennings. That would be the closest they got though as Lewis rattled off four of the next five points to extend its lead to 24-18. Lindenwood fought off two set points before
Tyler Mitchem (Bolingbrook, Ill./Bolingbrook) ended the stanza with his third kill.
Mitch Perinar (Channahon, IL/Minooka) led the Flyers with five kills while Mitchem and
Kyle Bugee (Los Altos, CA/Homestead) added three kills each in the set.
The second frame featured 19 ties and seven lead changes along the way. Lewis trailed by as many as three midway through the stanza but regrouped with a 6-2 run to retake the lead after an error by Nick Stevenson. The two sides continued to go back-and-forth but it was the Flyers who got to set point first after an error by Michael Jennings. The Lions tied the set again with a kill from Sam Schindler but a kill from
Ryan Coenen (Franklin, WI/Franklin) and a service ace by
Matt Yoshimoto (Ventura, CA/Adolfo Camarillo) gave Lewis the set 26-24.
The Flyers dominated the third set racing out to an early five point lead and eventually extended that lead to 12 points. Lindenwood wouldn't get closer than 10 points the rest of the contest as Lewis won 25-13.
The Flyers finished the match with a .371 hitting percentage (34 kills, eight errors, 70 total attempts). Perinar led the way with 11 kills while Mitchem, Coenen and Bugee added six kills each. Yoshimoto had 27 assists and
Michael Simmons (Aurora, IL/Waubonsie Valley) had seven digs.
The Lions were held to an attack percentage of .230 and was led offensively by Jennings and Connor Hipelius with eight kills apiece. Adam Brewster handed out 30 assists while Ryan Vorderer had a match-high 10 digs.
The Flyers conclude their nine-match homestand on Saturday taking on Quincy at 7 p.m.
