ROMEOVILLE, Ill. – Lewis University women's volleyball suffered its first home loss of the season, falling to Missouri S&T 3-1 Friday night at Neil Carey Arena.
With the loss, Lewis dipped to 10-6 (4-1 GLVC), while the Miners improved to 8-7 (1-3 GLVC).
IMPACT PLAYERS
Sarah Newberry (Fairfield, Ohio/Stephen T Badin) led the Flyers with 13 kills, while Lauren Buxton (Springfield, Ill./Pleasant Plains) and Marin Grossman (Hortonville, Wis./Hortonville) chipped in 12 and 11 kills, respectively. Grace Malek (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield South) tallied 20 or more assists for the fourth time in six matches with a 24-assist performance. On defense, Elena Gubera (Jamestown, Ind./Western Boone) notched 22 digs, while Hannah Dietzenbach (Fall River, Wis./Fall River) amassed four block assists.
Three different Missouri S&T players tallied 10 or more kills, highlighted by 12 from Selin Ozdemir. On the defensive side, Adelyn Weiler notched a match-high 32 digs, while Kate Zipprich tallied five total blocks (two solo, three assists).
HOW IT HAPPENED
Down 1-0 after dropping a closely contested first set, the Flyers came out firing in the second as they rattled off seven of the first 10 points of the frame. Still, the visitors slowly chipped away at the Flyers' lead, and an untimely attack error by the Red and White sparked a 7-2 run for Missouri S&T that tied the set, 14-14.
Both sides traded scores as the two foes found themselves knotted at 21 later in the set. Lewis broke the deadlock first as Marin Grossman (Hortonville, Wis./Hortonville) tallied her fourth kill of the set to give the Flyers a 22-21 advantage. However, Missouri S&T responded with a Danielle Wilke kill that sparked a set-winning 4-1 run, giving the visitors a 25-23 comeback victory and a 2-0 match lead.
The Flyers again came out strong to begin the third set, scoring eight of the first 10 points with a pair of Dietzenbach kills highlighting the early attack. Lewis never looked back, holding Missouri S&T to a .000 (6-6-32) hitting percentage en route to a 25-18 victory and cutting the Miners' match lead to 2-1.
Tied at 20-20 late in a back-and-forth final frame, the Flyers broke the deadlock first as Newberry tallied her 13th kill of the match to put Lewis ahead, 21-20. However, the Miners responded with three consecutive points to take a 23-21 lead. Lewis and Missouri S&T traded the final four points, but the Miners held on for a 25-23 victory to secure the 3-1 match win.
MATCH NOTES
- Lewis is now 18-6 all-time against Missouri S&T.
- Prior to the match, redshirt senior Rachel Kaczorowski (Carpentersville, Ill./Harry D. Jacobs) was honored with a commemorative ball for reaching 1,000 career assists. She finished the contest with 18 assists and 11 digs to record a double-double.
- Both sides finished the match with five service aces.
- Newberry has recorded 10 or more kills in seven matches this season.
UP NEXT
Lewis will close out Alumni Weekend at home against Maryville, with opening serve set for 3 p.m.
For the latest news, scores, and updates on Lewis women's volleyball, visit LewisFlyers.com and follow the Flyers on social media at @Lewisuwvb on Instagram and @LewisWVBall on X
