Romeoville, Ill. – Marin Grossman (Hortonville, Wis./Hortonville) and Sarah Newberry (Fairfield, Ohio/Stephen T Badin) each finished with double-digit kills as the Lewis University women's volleyball team defeated Quincy, 3-1, Friday evening at Neil Carey Arena.
With the win, the Flyers improved to 7-5 (1-0 GLVC), while the Hawks fell to 9-4 (0-1 GLVC).
IMPACT PLAYERS
Grossman led the Flyers with 18 kills, while Newberry contributed 17 of her own. Grace Malek (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield South) notched 31 assists for the Flyers in the winning effort. At the service line, Kynzie Lilly (Richmond, Texas/Southwest Baptist) set a new career high with seven service aces. On the defensive side, Elena Gubera (Jamestown, Ind./Western Boone) and Lauren Buxton (Springfield, Ill./Pleasant Plains) paced the Flyers with 22 and 14 digs, respectively, while Hannah Dietzenbach (Fall River, Wis./Fall River) totaled three solo blocks at the net. As a team, Lewis hit .302 (59-17-139) compared to .266 (54-16-143) for Quincy.
Selin Turgut paced the Hawks with a match-best 19 kills, while Macey Rocco provided 40 assists and 10 digs for a double-double. Aysem Kocaalp led Quincy with 12 digs in the loss.
HOW IT HAPPENED
It was all Flyers in the first set as the Red and White hit at a .400 (12-2-25) clip and used multiple long scoring runs to stymie the Hawks and claim a 25-12 set-one win and 1-0 match lead.
In a back-and-forth second set, the Flyers clung to a slim 20-18 edge after a short 4-0 burst paced by a pair of kills from Newberry. Still, Monika Bilikova flipped the script for the visitors as her kill spurred a 5-0 burst that pushed the Hawks ahead, 23-20. Despite the deficit, the Flyers turned the tides as an
Ann Kelly Velikov (Orvault, France/C.E.N.S.) kill spurred a set-winning 5-0 run capped by a Buxton service ace to give Lewis a 25-23 set-two win and 2-0 match lead.
Tied at 11-11 midway through the third stanza, Quincy broke the deadlock as a pair of Turgut kills bookended a 5-1 run for the Hawks that gave them the lead for good, 16-12. The two sides traded scores for the remainder of the frame, with the Hawks avoiding the sweep with a 25-20 set-three win.
In a tightly contested fourth set that featured numerous lead changes, the Flyers held a slim 23-21 advantage after Grossman's 18th kill of the match. Quincy answered as a Turgut kill and an untimely Flyers attack error tied the frame at 23-23. With Amber Glen on the service line for Quincy, Lewis broke the tie as Newberry received a pass from Malek and sent it to the floor to put the Flyers ahead, 24-23. On the next point, Newberry was again the hero, slamming down a Hawks overpass to secure the 25-23 set-four win and 3-1 match victory.
POSTMATCH COMMENTS
MATCH NOTES
- Lewis is now 34-7 all-time against Quincy.
- Lilly is the first player with five or more aces in a match since Alexandra Pruss had eight against Southwest Baptist on Nov. 8, 2019.
- Grossman and Buxton are the first Lewis duo to finish with 15 or more kills each since Emma O'Neill (Papillion, Neb./Papillion La Vista South) and Velikov had 15 apiece against Southwest Baptist on Nov. 15, 2025.
- Lewis has won its home opener every season since 2012.
UP NEXT
The Flyers will conclude their annual Mother/Daughter Weekend tomorrow at home against UIS at 3 p.m.
SUPPORT LEWIS ATHLETICS
Tonight's contest marked the first time that the Flyers played on the newly renovated court at Neil Carey Arena.
The new court project was made possible through the generosity of the many donors and supporters of Lewis athletics. Their continued support enriches the student-athlete experience and empowers our teams to compete for conference and national championships across all sports. If you would like to support the Flyers, you can click here.
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.
