ROMEOVILLE, Ill. – Lewis University's fourth ranked men's volleyball team is set to host No. 15 Ball State in the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association Tournament semifinals this Saturday (April 17) at 7 p.m. at Neil Carey Arena.
Fans will be allowed for Saturday's evening contest but will be limited to guests of rostered players only.
The Flyers (18-2) advanced to Saturday's semifinal with a straight sets win over Quincy last Saturday evening in the opening round of the MIVA Tournament.
Ryan Coenen (Franklin, WI/Franklin) and
Tyler Mitchem (Bolingbrook, Ill./Bolingbrook HS) led the way for Lewis combining for 25 kills in the contest.
The Flyers won both regular season matches this season against Ball State (12-7). It is the 10th time in MIVA Tournament history that the two teams will face off, with the last time coming in 2014 at Neil Carey Arena which was won by Lewis 3-2. This will be the sixth time the two sides have meet in the semifinal round.
Against the Cardinals this season,
Ryan Coenen (Franklin, WI/Franklin) led way with 26 kills in six sets while
Tyler Mitchem (Bolingbrook, Ill./Bolingbrook HS) and
Kyle Bugee (Cupertino, Calif./Homestead) were second and third with 25 and 24 kills respectively. Mitchem and
TJ Murray (Barrington, Ill./Barrington HS) totaled eight blocks apiece in the first two matches and
Carlos Jimenez (Miami Beach, Fla./FLVS) tallied 29 digs.
Kevin Kauling (Naperville, Ill./Neuqua Valley) averaged 13.17 assists per set in the two matches against Ball State.
The winner of Saturday's match will face the winner of the match between third seeded McKendree and second seeded Loyola Chicago on Saturday, April 24 for the MIVA Championship and the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The lower seed will travel to play the higher seed in that contest.
2021 MIVA TOURNAMENT
QUARTERFINALS (SATURDAY, APRIL 10)
Game 1: #1 Lewis 3, #8 Quincy 0
Game 2: #4 Ball State 3, #5 Ohio State 1
Game 3: #3 McKendree 3, #6 Purdue Fort Wayne 2
Game 4: #2 Loyola Chicago 3, #7 Lindenwood 1
SEMIFINALS (SATURDAY, APRIL 17)
Game 5: #4 Ball State at #1 Lewis
Game 6: #3 McKendree at #2 Loyola Chicago
FINAL (SATURDAY, APRIL 24)
Game 7: Winners of Games 5 & 6 (at highest seed)
FOLLOW ALONG
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