FAYETTE, Iowa – Propelled by hitting percentages north of .300 in the first and fourth sets, the Lewis women's volleyball team defeated Upper Iowa, 3-1, in Great Lakes Valley Conference women's volleyball action Friday evening at Dorman Memorial Gymnasium.
With the win, the Flyers improved to 9-5 (3-0 GLVC), while the Peacocks moved to 4-7 (1-2 GLVC).
IMPACT PLAYERS
Lauren Buxton (Springfield, Ill./Pleasant Plains) secured her third double-double of the season, finishing with 10 kills and 10 digs. Caroline Impey (Naperville, Ill./Naperville Central) and Ann Kelly Velikov (Orvault, France/C.E.N.S.) chipped in 13 and 11 kills, respectively, while Grace Malek (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield South) dished out 18 assists to fuel the Flyers' offense. Malek also notched 10 digs to secure her third double-double of the campaign. Elena Gubera (Jamestown, Ind./Western Boone) led the Flyers with 17 digs, while Hannah Dietzenbach (Fall River, Wis./Fall River) commanded the net with a career-high nine total blocks (one solo, eight assists). As a team, the Flyers posted a .268 (50-13-138) hitting percentage compared to just .081 (47-34-160) for Upper Iowa.
Marissa Becker tallied 17 kills, while Grace Fruzen amassed 34 assists in the loss. Morgan Block had a match-high 28 digs for the Peacocks.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Lewis wasted no time taking off as the Flyers scored seven of the first 10 points of the match and never looked back, posting a .464 (14-1-28) hitting percentage to fly past Upper Iowa in set one, 25-11, and take a 1-0 match lead.
Ahead 18-13 midway through the second set, the Peacocks turned the tide as a Becker kill sparked a 6-2 run that trimmed the Flyers' lead to one, 20-19. After the teams traded the next few points, Upper Iowa stole the lead as a Red and White attack error sparked the Peacocks' set-winning 5-1 run. The Peacocks held on to steal the set, 25-23, and tie the match at 1-1.
Tied at 12-12 in the third set, an Upper Iowa attack error opened the door for Lewis as the Flyers used a 5-1 burst to take a 17-13 lead. The Peacocks later trimmed the Lewis lead down to two, 21-19, but three kills from Velikov highlighted the Flyers' late 6-1 spurt that secured the 25-18 set three victory and reclaimed the match lead, 2-1.
Despite trading points early, Lewis used an uninterrupted 8-0 run midway through the fourth set and limited Upper Iowa to a .050 (10-8-40) hitting percentage to claim the 25-18 fourth set win and complete the 3-1 match victory.
MATCH NOTES
- Lewis is 7-0 against Upper Iowa all-time.
- Dietzenbach has now recorded five or more total blocks on four occasions this season.
- The Flyers held an opponent to a sub-.100 hitting percentage for the first time since Aug. 29 at the D'Youville Invite, when they limited Lock Haven to a .071 hitting percentage.
- Lewis has now recorded 50-plus kills in six consecutive matches.
- The Red and White had at least three players record 10 or more kills in a match for the first time since Nov. 15, 2025, against Southwest Baptist.
UP NEXT
The Flyers will conclude their road trip tomorrow at 3 p.m. against Truman State.
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.
