ROMEOVILLE, Ill. – The No. 8 Lewis men's volleyball team bounced back from its first MIVA defeat with a sweep of McKendree on Friday night at Neil Carey Arena. The Flyers improve to 19-5 overall and 10-1 in MIVA play while the Bearcats fall to 11-11, 6-6 in MIVA play.
Lewis outhit McKendree .308-to-.120 in the contest and recorded 37 kills to just 24 for the Bearcats.
Ryan Coenen (Franklin, WI/Franklin) led the Flyers with 13 kills while
Julian Moses (Atlanta, GA/Atlanta International School) added eight.
Tyler Mitchem (Bolingbrook, Ill./Bolingbrook HS),
TJ Murray (Barrington, IL/Barrington HS) and
Mitch Perinar (Channahon, IL/Minooka) had five kills apiece.
Matt Yoshimoto (Ventura, CA/Adolfo Camarillo) finished with 31 assists and Perinar and
Michael Simmons (Aurora, IL/Waubonsie Valley) had seven digs each.
The opening set was a back-and-forth affair featuring 14 ties and five lead changes. Lewis trailed 11-8 before going on a 7-2 run to grab a 15-13 lead on a service error from Zach Schnittker. However, McKendree regained the lead scoring four of the next five points. That would be its last lead of the set as the Flyers answered with a 7-3 run to build their largest lead of the set at 23-20 on a service ace from Coenen.
The Bearcats wouldn't go quietly scoring three straight set points to even the set at 23 and had a chance to retake the lead but Wyatt Dimke committed a service error and then Moses ended the set with a kill.
Lewis used a 7-1 run midway through the middle set to break a 6-all tie. McKendree was able to cut it to five but the Flyers put it away closing the set on a 10-3 run to win 25-13 and take the commanding 2-0 lead.
Lewis never trailed in the final set building a six-point cushion near the midway point and eventually stretched their lead to 10. The Bearcats didn't get closer than eight points the rest of the way as Perinar finished it off with a kill.
Schnittker and Carroll had seven kills apiece to lead McKendree. Ryan Serrano handed out 19 assists while Brandon Dunn had a match-high nine digs.
The Flyers continue their four-game homestand on Saturday hosting Ohio State at 7 p.m. The Buckeyes fell in straight sets at Loyola on Friday.
