ROMEOVILLE, Ill. – Lewis University's 12th ranked men's volleyball team's season came to a close with a straight sets loss at seventh ranked Ball State in the semifinal round of the MIVA Tournament on Wednesday evening at Worthen Arena in Muncie, Ind.

Lewis led by three early in the opening set but Ball State (22-3) went on a 5-1 run to grab a lead it wouldn't relinquish. The Cardinals led by as many as four at 19-15 but the Flyers rallied to get within 24-23 on a kill by Max Roquet (Johnston, Iowa/Johnston). Ball State won the set after a service error by Tyler Mitchem (Bolingbrook, Ill./Bolingbrook HS).

The Cardinals jumped out to a 10-point lead midway through the second stanza. Lewis made a late run to get within 22-17 after a kill from Roquet but wouldn't get any closer as Ball State scored the final three points to win the frame 25-17.

The Cardinals went on a 9-3 run midway through the final set to extend their lead from 8-5 to 17-8. Lewis wouldn't get closer than seven points the rest of the match as Ball State went on to win the frame 25-15.

The Flyers hit just .125 in the match with 33 kills against 22 errors in 88 swings. Mitchem led Lewis with 11 kills, Kevin Kauling (Naperville, Ill./Neuqua Valley) added 24 assists and Cole Brillhart (York, Pa./Northeastern) had seven digs.

The Cardinals finished the match with a .342 hitting percentage with 35 kills against nine errors in 76 chances. Kaleb Jenness led Ball State with 10 kills while Nick Martinski added nine kills. Quinn Isaacson finished with 28 assists and Jenness had nine digs.

Lewis concludes its season with a record of 16-12.