LEBANON, Ill. -- The No. 14 Lewis University men's volleyball team lost to host McKendree Saturday (March 15) in a five-set thriller. 
 
TEAM RECORDS
No. 10 McKendree 13-5, 8-1 MIVA | No. 14 Lewis 16-6, 6-4 MIVA
                   
LEWIS LEADERS vs. McKendree
Kills: Oguzhan Oguz (Bursa, Turkey/Ocean) (28), Deyan Todorov (Sofia, Bulgaria/51st Secondary) (16), Max Roquet (Johnston, Iowa/Johnston) (11)
Digs: Nico Paula (Tampa, Fla./Berkeley Preparatory School) (13), Todorov (11), Roquet (11)
Assists: Tyler Morgan (Dike, Iowa/Dike-New Hartford) (33), Diego Estrada (Ponce, Puerto Rico/Adianez) (22)
Aces: Three Tied (1)
Blocks: Shawn Baggs Jr. (Gilbert, Ariz./Casteel HS) (4)

SET BREAKDOWN
SET 1: Lewis 25, McKendree 20 
Lewis jumped out to an early 7-4 lead after a kill from Oguz. McKendree fought back and scored two straight points to make it 7-6. 

Midway through the opening set, Lewis rallied for five consecutive points capped off by a block from Baggs and Roquet, extending the Flyers lead to 17-10. The Bearcats responded and narrowed the score to 20-18.

The Flyers regained momentum after Oguz picked up two consecutive kills. The Flyers won the opening set after Oguz recorded another kill. 
 
SET 2: McKendree 25, Lewis 18
Both teams each scored five points to start the second set. Lewis took a two-point lead after back-to-back blocks from Todorov and Baggs. 

McKendree then scored five straight points, giving the Bearcats a 10-7 lead. Todorov looked to shift momentum back to the Flyers back the momentum after a pair of kills made it 10-9 McKendree. 
 
That was the closest the Flyers got as the Bearcats went on a run, pulling ahead 18-12. McKendree won the second set 25-18. 

SET 3: McKendree 25, Lewis 20
McKendree carried their momentum from the second set and seized a 6-1 lead early on. Lewis tried to get back in the set with three straight points which was capped off by an ace from Todorov. 

That was as close it got as well as McKendree took control of the third set. Kills by Todorov and Daniel Haber (Remsenburg, NY/Westhampton Beach) gave the Flyers life late in the set.

McKendree scored back-to-back points to win the set 25-18. 

SET 4: Lewis 25, McKendree 22
Both teams went back-and-forth again to begin the fourth set at 5-5. Lewis was able to grab the upper hand with back-to-back kills from Baggs and Oguz, giving the Flyers a 14-12 advantage. 
 
Lewis maintained control of the fourth set, a set they needed to force a winner-take-all fifth. The Bearcats closed the gap to 18-17 but a kill from Oguz and an ace from Tyler Walenga (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln-Way East) gave the Flyers a three-point lead. 

The Flyers were able to close out the set and win 25-22 after a kill from Todorov to force a fifth set.

SET 5: McKendree 15, Lewis 13
McKendree scored the first two points of the set for an early 2-0 lead. Piotr Wymoczyl (Arlington Heights, Ill./Buffalo Grove HS) earned the kill for the first point of the fifth set. 

The Bearcats shifted momentum to their side after grabbing a 8-4 lead as both teams switched sides. Lewis fought back as back-to-back kills from Roquet and Oguz followed by a Bearcats attack error tied it at 11-11. 

Both teams each scored a point resulting in a tie at 12-12. McKendree scored two in a row, making it 14-12 Bearcats to force match point.

Oguz recorded the kill on the next play, trying to rally the Flyers. The Bearcats went on to score the next point and won it 15-13 and the match 3-2.
 
FINAL SCORE: McKendree 3, Lewis 2
 
UP NEXT
Lewis hosts Cal-State Northridge Thursday, March 20 for High School Night starting at 7 p.m. CT. 
 
UPCOMING EVENTS
Be sure to join us Wednesday, March 26 as we induct our newest members of the Athletics Hall of Fame at the Flyer Red Dinner at Bolingbrook Golf Club starting at 6 p.m. CT. Purchase tickets at https://lewisflyers.com/2025FlyerRedDinner
 
FLYERS ANNUAL FUND
Support the Flyers by making a gift to the Flyers Athletics Fund at https://lewisflyers.com/202425AnnualFund