St. Charles, Mo. – The No. 11 Lewis University men's volleyball team fell to No. 18 Lindenwood, 3-0, in Midwest Intercollegiate Volleyball Association play Friday evening at Robert F. Hyland Arena.
The Flyers moved to 6-5 after the loss while the Lions improved 8-1.
IMPACT PLAYERS
Brendan Louthain and Luke Kraft paced the hosts with 10 kills each while Zach Solomon tallied 34 assists and team-best six digs. As a team, Lindenwood ended the match with a hitting percentage of .518 (37-8-56) compared to .149 (18-11-47) for Lewis.
Daniel Haber (Remsenburg, NY/Westhampton Beach) led Lewis with seven kills while
Diego Estrada (Ponce, Puerto Rico/Adianez) provided 15 assists and a team-best three total blocks.
Nico Paula (Tampa, Fla./Berkeley Preparatory School) led the red and white in digs with four in the loss.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Lindenwood owned the first set early as they rattled off eight of the first 11 points of the match. Still, the Flyers found an answer as they chipped away at the Lions lead and a 4-2 run midway through the frame trimmed the Lindenwood lead down to just one, 15-14. Despite the run, the Lions outscored Lewis 10-4 the remainder of the way to win the first set, 25-18 and claim a 1-0 match lead.
The Flyers sprinted out of the gate to begin the second set as they tallied three of the first four points of the frame.
Still, the Lions had an answer as a Whiteside kill spurned a 10-4 run that propelled the hosts into the lead, 11-7. Lewis again mounted a short comeback as they brought the Lindenwood lead back down to one, 11-10, but that was as close as the red and white got the remainder of the frame as Lindenwood replied with a 5-1 run of their own to open up a 16-11 lead. Lindenwood never looked back and claimed the middle stanza, 25-18 and secured a 2-0 match lead.
Lindenwood sealed the sweep in the third frame as they hit at a clip of .800 (8-0-10) to win, 25-14.
MATCH NOTES
- Tonight marked the 31st all-time meeting between the two MIVA schools
- Lewis is now 2-2 in the next match following a loss this season
- Both Josh Weyerhaeuser (Gurnee, Ill./Warren Township) and Piotr Wymoczyl (Arlington Heights, Ill./Buffalo Grove HS) made their third starts of the season
- Estrada's three total blocks tied his season-high which he set on Jan. 30 against UC San Diego.
UP NEXT
The Flyers will close their three game road swing against longtime rival Loyola Chicago on Feb. 12. Opening serve from the Windy City is set for 7 p.m.
For the latest news, scores, and updates on Lewis men's volleyball, visit LewisFlyers.com and follow the Flyers on social media at @Lewismensvb on Instagram and @LewisMVBall on X.
