ROMEOVILLE, Ill. – The Lewis University men's volleyball team takes down Purdue Fort Wayne 3-1 in the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association quarterfinal round on Saturday evening (April 15). After an extensive fourth set that featured a total of 74 points, Lewis was able to advance to the semifinal round of the MIVA tournament for the third consecutive year.
 
TEAM RECORDS
Lewis (17-12) | Purdue Fort Wayne (16-13)
 
LEWIS LEADERS
Kills: Christian Prayer (St. Louis, Mo./Parkway North) (17), Max Roquet (Johnston, Iowa/Johnston) (16), Cole Brillhart (York, Pa./Northeastern) (12)
Digs: Tyler Morgan (Dike, Iowa/New Hartford) (9), Jason Gibbs (Bellaire, Texas/Bellarie) (9), Prayer (9) and Roquet (7)
Assists: Morgan (49)
Aces: Morgan (1), Antonio Elias Rodriguez (1) and Prayer (1)
Blocks: Rodriquez (5), Prayer (3) and Sack (2)
 
SET BREAKDOWN
FIRST SET: Lewis 25, Purdue Fort Wayne 15

• The Flyers got out to a great start in the opening set of the quarterfinals as they jumped to a 6-3 lead with the help of two kills from Christian Prayer (St. Louis, Mo./Parkway North), one of Max Roquet (Johnston, Iowa/Johnston) and one from Antonio Elias Rodriguez (Naranjito, Puerto Rico/Colegio Sagrada Familia).
• Moments later, Lewis was able to extend their lead to five at 13-8 after back-to-back kills from Prayer.
• The Flyers would also put together a 4-0 and cruise to a 10-point win in the first set.
• Lewis recorded a .619 hitting percentage in the opening and spiked 14 kills. Despite Purdue Fort Wayne using three more attack attempts in the first set, the Mastodons only posted a .125 hitting percentage.

SECOND SET: Lewis 25, Purdue Fort Wayne 18

• To start the second set, Roquet notched three quick kills to help Lewis get out to a 5-1 advantage.
• The Flyers were able to extend their four-point lead to seven half way throughout the set at 14-7 after a Tyler Morgan (Dike, Iowa/New Hartford) kill.
• Purdue managed to cut the lead down to four, but two crucial errors down the stretch helped the Flyers propel to the 2-0 set lead.
• Lewis committed two fewer errors than the Mastodons in the second set and recorded a .407 hitting percentage compared to Purdue's .161.

THIRD SET: Purdue Fort Wayne 25, Lewis 16

• Now one set away from their season ending, the desperation was setting in for Purdue.
• The Mastodons got out to a great start in the third set, beginning with a 5-0 run that forced to take an early timeout.
• The Flyers fought back and cut the lead to three after a Roquet and Prayer kill, but Purdue immediately responded with back-to-back kills by Mark Frazier.
• Four of the Mastodons final five points were scored off Lewis errors that added to their outcome of winning the third set.
• Purdue served three aces in the third set and posted a hitting percentage of .480.

FOURTH SET: Lewis 38, Purdue Fort Wayne 36

• Both teams traded the first 10 points of the fourth set before Lewis put together a 6-1 run to take an 11-6 lead. The run consisted of three Prayer kills and an ace by Noah Melendez.
• Moments later Purdue constructed a 5-1 run to bring the score within one.
• Lewis would hold off the Mastodons rally with a kill by Roquet and another ace by Melendez, to force Purdue to take its second timeout.
• From that point forward, there would be four different lead changes as Lewis and Purdue battled it out with their season on the line.
• The score climbed to as much as 36 all before two attack errors in a row were the ultimately downfall of Purdue losing its final set of the season.
• Both teams had a hitting percentage above .303 in the final set and each team recorded three blocks.

FINAL SCORE: Lewis 3, Purdue Fort Wayne 1
 
UP NEXT

• Lewis will be back for the MIVA Tournament Semifinals against top-seeded Ball State on Wednesday, April 19.