ROMEOVILLE, Ill. – Lewis University's ninth ranked men's volleyball team opens its 2022 season this Tuesday (Jan. 11) hosting Maryville University at 7 p.m. at Neil Carey Arena. Tuesday's match is the start of a five-match homestand for the Flyers which includes matches against NJIT, St. Francis (Pa.), fifth ranked Long Beach State and Belmont Abbey.
Lewis returns 11 players and three starters from last season's Final Four team including All-Americans
Tyler Mitchem (Bolingbrook, Ill./Bolingbrook HS) and
Kevin Kauling (Naperville, Ill./Neuqua Valley). Also back are
Cole Brillhart (York, Pa./Northeastern),
Carlos Jimenez (Miami Beach, Fla./FLVS),
Joe Kenzinger (Chicago, Ill./Brother Rice),
Jason Gibbs (Bellaire, Texas/Bellarie), Alec Lenhert,
Carter Burzlaff (Elgin, Ill./Bartlett High School) and
Michael Sack (Oak Lawn, Ill./St. Laurence).
The Flyers were picked to finish second in this year's Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA) Preseason Coaches Poll. They received 49 points, including two first place votes. Loyola Chicago was picked to win the league receiving 59 points and four first place votes while Ohio State was slated to finish third with 47 points and received the final two first place votes. Ball State was selected fourth with 44 points.
Mitchem and Kauling were named to the Preseason All-MIVA Team and Mitchem was also selected as the Preseason MIVA Player of the Year.
Mitchem enters the season needing just 175 kills to reach 1,000 for his career and he is currently ranked 11th in school history in the rally scoring era while his .477 hitting percentage is tops in school history heading into 2022. He also ranks fourth in school history with 403 total blocks and in block assists with 356. His 1.14 blocks per set ranks sixth in the rally scoring era.
Last season, Mitchem led the conference and was second in the nation in hitting percentage at .490 and was second in the conference and third nationally in blocks per set with 1.30.
In just two seasons, Kauling is rapidly moving up the assists list as he ranks seventh in the rally scoring era heading into this season with 1,507 assists. He is 542 assists behind Jordan Vidovic for sixth on the list.
Kauling directed one of the top offenses in the nation a year ago as the Flyers hit .340 as a team which was third best in the country. His 10.84 assists per set led the MIVA and was second in the country.
Lewis is ranked ninth in this week's AVCA Division I-II Top 15 Coaches Poll. The Flyers dropped one spot from eighth in the Preseason Poll.
Tuesday's match marks the inaugural match for Maryville's program.
Per Lewis University policy, Tuesday's match will be played in front of limited spectators.
The Flyers continue their homestand this Friday hosting NJIT at 7 p.m. and host Saint Francis (Pa.) on Saturday evening at 7 p.m.
