ROMEOVILLE, Ill. – The No. 8 Lewis men's volleyball team begins its final homestand of the season this weekend hosting McKendree at 7 p.m. on Friday and Ohio State on Saturday at 7 p.m. The Flyers enter the week ranked eighth in the AVCA Division I-II Coaches Poll and have an overall record of 18-5 and are 9-1 in Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association matches.
Friday's theme night will be Super Hero night with everyone encouraged to wear their favorite super hero costumes. Saturday night will be the annual Black Out Match with everyone encouraged to wear black to the match. There will be t-shirts given away prior to and during the match.
Last Time Out: The Flyers split a pair of matches last week defeating No. 13 Purdue Fort Wayne in five sets and then lost at No. 15 Ball State in five sets last Saturday. The loss to the Cardinals snapped Lewis' 11-match winning streak.
Ryan Coenen (Franklin, WI/Franklin) paced the Flyer offense averaging 3.8 kills per set while
Matt Yoshimoto (Ventura, CA/Adolfo Camarillo) distributed 8.1 assists per set. Yoshimoto and
Michael Simmons (Aurora, IL/Waubonsie Valley) each averaged 2.6 digs per set on the back line.
About McKendree: The Bearcats enter Thursday's game at Loyola with a record of 11-9 overall and are 6-4 in MIVA play and are tied for third place in the MIVA standings. McKendree is fresh off the BYU Invite where it took two of its three scheduled matches, including a four-set upset over then eighth-ranked BYU Cougars. It was the highest ranked opponent the Bearcats have beaten in program history. McKendree setter Brian Serrano was named MIVA's Defensive Player of the Week on March 26 after posting 22 digs for an average of 2.20 per set. He enters Thursday fifth in MIVA with 8.96 assists per set.
About Ohio State: The Buckeyes have been less than full strength at times this season but a lot of the notable names that have been sidelined due to injury have since returned to the OSU lineup. Jake Hanes missed seven matches but has still tallied enough attacks to qualify for the MIVA lead in kills per set at 4.14, which makes him the only player in the conference to post an average about four. Sanil Thomas, a 2018 MIVA First Team selection, also returns to the lineup after missing 12 matches this season. He is averaging 11.15 assists per set in his last four matches.
McKendree Series: Friday's match marks the 11th all-time meeting between Lewis and McKendree with the Flyers having won nine of the first 10, including a four-set win earlier this season in Lebanon, Ill., on Feb. 23. The two sides split the series last year winning on their respective home courts.
Ohio State Series: The Flyers and Buckeyes meet for the 58th time in series history on Saturday. The series dates back to 1994 when Lewis began its program. Ohio State leads the all-time series 35-22 but is only 13-11 in matches played at Neil Carey Arena. Lewis snapped a five-match losing streak at Ohio State with a five-set win on Feb. 21.
Up Next: The Flyers finish off the regular season hosting Quincy and Lindenwood next weekend (April 5-6). The match against the Lions on April 6 will serve be Senior Night with the seven seniors honored in a pre-game ceremony.
