Lewis University Athletics

Dec. 14, 2014

Hi Flyer fans,

My name is Abby Becker and I am a freshman setter from Menomonee Falls Wisconsin. Our season has been done for about two weeks now and the amount of time I have on my hands now is crazy, I don’t know what to do with myself. I have gotten some studying in with my extra time and have been studying a lot for finals that are coming up this week. I miss seeing my teammates and their beautiful faces everyday, I cant wait to start spring season and workouts after winter break. My favorite part of the season was when the team went to Florida. I really opened myself up to the team and they all accepted my weirdness and me. Also the last night we were there we got to eat at a nice restaurant and I got this delicious shrimp scampi. Our season was one to remember and I can’t wait to start playing again in the spring and get prepared for an awesome fall season!
 
Love your Lewis flyer,
Abby Becker #19 

Nov. 21, 2014

Hello Flyer Fans!  My name is Jenni Mueller and I am a Senior Libero from Mt. Prospect Illinois.  As all of you have heard we just found out that we get to continue on with our season and are advancing to regionals in the NCAA Tournament.  This is such a great accomplishment for us as a team and I couldn't be prouder to call myself a flyer.
 
My favorite memory from this season was the dances we had to make in groups for team bonding.  It really helped bring the team together and allowed us to get some good laughs at each other as well. 
 
As a senior it is amazing to look back and see how far I have come in the past four years being apart of this program.  I have learned so much from every single person, players and coaches and couldn't be more grateful for all of my experiences here.
 
As regionals are approaching this upcoming week, I am so excited to see how much we have improved as a team and can make it even after a tough loss in the Conference Tournament.  Thank you for all of your support over this season!
 
Love your Lewis Flyer,
 
Jenni Mueller #10

Nov. 1, 2014

    Hello Flyer fans! My name is Bailey Sparkman and I am a redshirt freshman outside hitter from St. Charles, Missouri. It’s Halloween and the Lewis Flyers just finished out the themed Halloween practice complete with clever and grade-A costumes. We are preparing to play Missouri S&T and Drury this weekend at Neil Carey arena. The games should be great tests of how well we have been working the last couple of weeks and I cannot wait to see my team fly above the competition.

    I’m redshirting this season, and while it might be hard to watch my team during games while I wish I could be out there, I still have many other ways to help them be successful. At first I was very worried about how I would react to redshirting because I simply love to play with my team against competition. But it has helped me grow a lot as a person and a player. The time off has helped me focus a lot of healing and rehabbing my shoulder from when I had surgery in December. It has also shown me how to be a good leader by using my words and actions on the sideline rather than on the court. I am eager to play at practices and when I get the chance to scrimmage, it is my favorite part of the day. Luckily I have lots of moral support this year from the other redshirts and injured players and we all help eachother stay positive and use this year to our advantage so when next season hits, we will be rockin’ and rollin’ and playing our very best.

    My favorite part of this season so far is when we beat McKendree in three. It is always a tough match and it is really fun to bet them, even more fun to sweep them. The cheering and dancing on the side was on point!

    As post season approaches I am very excited for the close and nail biting matches that volleyball players live for. I have faith in my team and my teammates and know that no matter where we land in post season we will give everything we have and leave it on the court.

LOVE ALWAYS YOUR LEWIS FLYER,
Bailey Sparkman #43

Oct. 21, 2014

Hello Flyer Fans!!!!

My name is Alesia Kroeker. I am a middle blocker from Omaha, NE. Numero 16! This season has been awesome! I cannot get enough of my team and the love and bond we have for each other, they are my family! So, personally I love food…A LOT! My favorite meal so far has not yet happened…I am waiting to get popeyes as a team, and it will happen! My favorite memory with this season is when we went to Our Lady of Angels. It was good to be able to go out into the community and help out in any way that we could.
 
I hope you all can make the rest of our home games!!

-Alesia Kroeker #16

Oct. 12, 2014

Hello Flyer Fans,

My name is Lauren O’Brien, but most people around here call me LO.  I am a junior outside hitter from Verona, Wisconsin.  I am a Business Administration major and a Spanish Language and Culture minor. 

My favorite part of this year has been getting to know all of our awesome freshmen.  They are quite the group, all of them so nice and caring, but most importantly hilarious people.  It is key to have people in your lives that can make you laugh, especially in times when you really need it.  Our team is like a family, something I will never take for granted.
 
-  #22 Lauren O’Brien


Oct. 12, 2014

Hello Flyer Fans!
 
It's Leigh Barea here, a senior setter from Battle Creek, Mi. I can't believe that this is my fourth and final player diary. I swear I was just a freshman yesterday first falling in love with the Lewis volleyball program. I am also a biology major at Lewis and will be graduating in May. We are approximately halfway through season and I swear we have only been in season for a couple weeks. It's definitely true that time goes by faster and faster as you get older.
 
My favorite moment of the season and every other season is just being able to be a Lewis Flyer. I am so grateful that I am a member of this amazing team. I have amazing teammates who strive to make themselves better and work to make the people in thier positions better as well. I'm blessed with the best coaches who put their whole hearts and great volleyball minds together to make us the most successful we can be personally and as a team. We also have the BEST parents ever! They are always our biggest fans no matter what. Plus, you can always count on one of them to be your adoptive parent when you need a hug when your parents aren't there.
 
We still have a ton of hard work to do to accomplish our goals for the end of the season. We are a very strong team, but we have many ways to get stronger in order to win a championship. I know everyone of my teammates wants this, so I know we can make the changes we need to make in order to achieve those goals.
 
We hope you get a chance to come watch us play and continue to support us as we fight to win a championship. I love this team and can't wait to achieve greatness with them!
 
Love your Lewis Flyer,
Leigh Barea #15

Oct. 6, 2014

Hi everyone!

My name is Carolyn Nojiri and I am a sophomore libero/ds from Downers Grove, Illinois.  I am currently a Sports Management major and also a Lewis University softball player.  It is crazy to think that our season is halfway over! Our record is 13-2 so far and our next upcoming match is Saturday October 10^th, in the best gym out there, Neil Carey Arena.  We would love for you all to come out and support the
Flyers as we take on the Pumas of St. Joes at 7 p.m.  It should be a fun match to watch, and the theme is mustache night so come on out with your best mustaches! 

It is hard to pick out my favorite moment from this season so far, but I would have to say it was our themed practice.  We all dressed up like boys!  Having themed practices always get us hyped up and really excited for out next match.  Everyone came in basketball shorts, backwards hats, and cut off shirts (showing off the guns, thank you Creig). It was so fun to be weird with the team and just have fun, yet get down to business when it came to drills.  I always look forward to the themed practices because we have some goofy “guys” on the team.  It is an awesome feeling knowing that all 25 of us girls can have fun yet work hard together to become successful as a team.  I can honestly call this team my family, and I would not have it any other way. 
 
Love always your Lewis Flyers,
Carolyn Nojiri #27 <>

Oct. 1, 2014

I’m Joyce Balash and I am a freshman here at Lewis University. I play for the women’s volleyball team on campus and I love being apart of such a great program. Like most teenagers, I was nervous to go away to college and be away from my family, even if I was only going to be 30 minutes from home. But my fear of college quickly went away as I became involved with school and volleyball. I have completely fallen in love with Lewis University and everything about the school… except for maybe the food.
           
Spending so much time with girls who are basically my best friends really has its awesome moments. So far, my favorite moment of the season would have to be traveling with the team. I thought long hours on the bus would be boring and a hassle, but they are actually so much fun! Although half of the time we are all so tired that we pass out, the times that we are awake are great. I love watching countless episodes of “Criminal Minds” and then having nightmares because they freak me out so bad. I also love that I sit next to Abby Becker, or Becky as I like to call her! She is someone who I never thought I would become close with, but now we are together everyday and I love her! Bus rides are long, but I really do enjoy getting to spend that time with my teammates!
           
There are so many positives about being on this team, but there are also some negatives. Although there are not many, one thing that I have not enjoyed is the early morning practices! 6 am is a little bit early for me, so it is always tough to get out of bed on those days. Once I am up and moving, I am normally fine. It just takes a little to wake up and get myself ready to practice! Even if Wednesday mornings are rough, I love getting to put in those hours in the gym with my teammates, knowing we are getting better with each touch on the ball.
           
In the few short weeks I have been here, I have really grown to love Lewis. I am so glad that I get the chance to attend such a great school with so many amazing people.
 
#23 Joyce Balash

Sept. 28, 2014
Hey Flyer Fans!

My name is Lauren Stitz and I am a redshirt sophomore! The season is still young and everything is going great! Unfortunately time is flying by :(. I am an outside hitter and I am #5. I am from the northern suburbs of Indianapolis, but I absolutely love it here at Lewis and there is no other school I would ever want to be at! I am a double major in marketing and business administration and as of right now I am planning to use my fifth year here to get my masters degree in business analytics.

I would have to say that my favorite moment of this season so far was going to Florida for a tournament! We went 3-1 and got to spend some time at the beach! It was a great trip with the perfect combination of all of my favorite things with my favorite people!

My worst moment this season was when we lost to Truman because we totally could have won and I can’t wait to play them again so we can win! We aren’t going to let them take anything away from us this year!

My favorite meal so far was our nice dinner in Florida. We all got dressed up and the food was awesome – I ate so much but it was totally worth it! But, I will say – we are a very good looking team when we get all cleaned up!
           
Our team is always goofing around and laughing about something which makes everything so much fun all the time! There are so many funny memories that I don’t know which to pick as my favorite. But a funny one that comes to mind is from when we beat McKendree and Danica was putting her zip up on and had it on her head and she looked like E.T. So we have a picture meme of her that says E.T. or nah? Check it out, it’s on facebook!  
           
I chose Lewis for many more reasons than one. Once I met the team I instantaneously felt like a part of our LU family and I wasn’t even here yet! It’s really nice to say that our team has something that many don’t: a family. I’m happy to say that I love all 24 of my sisters on this team and I love the coaching staff just as much! Everyone here is absolutely great and the campus is beautiful no matter what time of the year it is! When I came on all of my visits I knew right away that Lewis was the only place for me. I couldn’t ask for anything more at this school, it’s perfect for me! I definitely love it here for more reasons than I could describe. It’s so great to be a part of such an amazing school and volleyball program. Now that I am two years in, I still don’t think that I could possibly find a reason that would make me want to even consider leaving. The athletic and academic atmospheres are wonderful and it is so easy to make friends anywhere you go on campus. Lewis is the best place to be!

Go Flyers!

Lauren Stitz #5




Sept. 17, 2014
Hello Flyer Fans!
It’s Jenna Selby! I’m a sophomore middle from Troy, Ohio and an Athletic Training major. I can’t believe that our season has already started and that our first home games are this weekend! We play UMSL on Saturday, and Maryville on Sunday. (Hope to see you there!) After two long weekends of traveling it will be so nice to finally be able to play in Neil Carey for the first time this year. It still feels like preseason was just yesterday. I guess time flies when you are having fun… or staying busy! But my all time favorite part of this year so far was the obstacle course workout we did with our trainer, Creig during preseason. My partner was Katie Fuerst and we started on the track, made our way to the sand courts, then to the swimming pool, to the weight room, and all the way back to the track. It was awesome how everyone worked together and pushed each other. We even made it over the hurdles in the sand!

Love always,
Your Lewis Flyer, Jenna #11 


Sept. 10, 2014
Hello Flyer fans!
My name is Cassidy Parsons, I am currently a junior outside from Elkhart, Indiana and am studying graphic design.
We went to Florida this past weekend where we went 3-1! It was an amazing trip as all trips we take are. But I want to tell you about my favorite moment while playing in Florida because it was so hilarious; but was even better when we won the point. We were playing a team and we had just served the ball and the opposing team rolled the ball right over our blockers hands, and Amy Choi dove to try and pancake it as a last minute attempt to keep the ball off the floor. As I watched her fly forward on the ground and sprawl towards the falling ball all I see is her little shoe fly in an arc above our heads! I was in such shock that I just started laughing and watched her shoe fly until I realized the play was still going on. I shuffled back to my defense position and as I was doing this in my peripherals I see Amy Choi crawl across the ground and pick up her shoe, and somehow slip it on mid play and still make it back to her defensive position in time before the other team sent the ball sailing out of bounds on our side! And to top it all off her dad got it all on video! It was my favorite moment of Florida and probably my most favorite moment of the season so far because Amy never fails to surprise me.
 
Love your Lewis Flyer,
Cassidy Parsons #7


Sept. 10, 2014
Hey Flyer Fans!
This is redshirt sophomore libero Nicole Yuede. 
We are just finishing up our first tournament down in Lakeland, Florida. Earlier this week we established our team goals for the month of September. Our first goal of going 3-1 in the Florida tournament was checked off this weekend! On Friday night we played New Haven and Florida Southern. After a tough loss to Florida Southern, we rallied back together as a team to come out Saturday and beat Nova and Flagler! We rounded out our successful weekend with a lazy beach day on Sunday.
This team has an incredible amount of talent. From the last person on the bench to the first person on the court, we are a unit. When things get tough I know I have a family of teammates to support me. I wouldn’t trade my experiences with this team for anything.
Make sure to keep updated because your Flyers have some big things ahead of them this year!
Love always your Lewis Flyers,
Nicole #3

Sept. 10, 2014
Hi,
I am Katie Fuerst a senior outside hitter on the Lewis Women’s Volleyball team and I am currently majoring in Sports Management and have a minor in Marketing. I can’t believe that it is my last year of being a Flyer but I have a feeling this year is going to be our year. Now that we have wrapped up the first week of school and close to wrapping up pre-season, I can say the team is looking really good! This weekend we had a home scrimmage with Grand Valley State and Northern Michigan. With the lovely size of this team (25 girls) we are able to all get lots of touches in scrimmages. We played a lot better and connected with each other this past week in practice having it show when we were split up into our teams yesterday. The good thing about this team is our relentlessness for every ball. The hustle and heart to keep every ball from hitting the floor is greater than what I have seen all my years here. I truly believe great things will come with all the hard work and dedication we put into not just this summer but into this moment right now. Over the summer I came to realization that this is my last year of playing competitive indoor volleyball. Being able to say that takes a lot because that is all I’ve done since the age 12, but it has taught me the value of living in the moment. It has taught me the greater value for my teammates/best friends and coaches around me. It has taught me that every touch of the ball and every hard workout we have is more than just sweat and tears and more than just being there in the gym. It is who you are and what you make of it and with it being my senior year the mentality I have has been one that I live by because I feel at peace with who I am and where I stand at any moment. From the last person on the bench to first person on the court these girls and program are my family and every single girl has taught me the love for the game and the love for the moment. The moment is what you make of it and I would never want to look back and say, “I wish I would have done this instead.” If you live in the moment with your whole heart in it you will walk away knowing you did what you could for the game and people you love and know. Now I know I was suppose to tell you about how we are doing as a team or things that have been happening but I just cant thank this team and program enough for what they have made possible and for every experience good or bad has taught me about myself. I am honored to be a Flyer and will promise anyone reading this that this team will do what it takes to win it all!
 
Love Always,
Your Lewis Flyers (but really it is Katie..haha)

Sept. 3, 2014
Hi I'm Aly Schneider! I'm a freshman Middle Blocker from Granger, Indiana and I'll be wearing #12 this year. I'm also studying nursing so yes, I'm very busy!!
 
We just got back from the Dunes! The whole team went and then got split into smaller teams. Each of us had to do different workouts and obstacles up and down the dunes. It was all a race and very very challenging, but all so worth it because my team won!! :) I never knew how much sand and sweat I could be covered in! We were then rewarded with CHIPOTLE for the ride home!
 
It's hard coming in as a freshman when everything is new and different but all my teammates made the adjustment so much easier because they are all so welcoming and fun to be around!
 
We are getting ready to leave for Florida in a couple days! I'm so excited for my first real college volleyball games!!

I can't wait to see what's in store for us this season!
 
Go Flyers!
Aly Schneider #12

Sept. 3, 2014
Hey Flyer Fans!
 
My name is Maddie Seliga and I am a sophomore rightside from St. Louis, Missouri.
 
With roughly two weeks of preseason under our belts, it feels awesome to have the team back together! After completing a tough summer workout and a physically challenging preseason, our team is more ready than ever to do work on the court!
 
We just finished our last match of the preseason scrimmage that we hosted here at Lewis. From week to week and scrimmage to scrimmage, I can already see huge improvements in not only our players as individuals, but our team as a unit.
 
The team this year has incredible potential and I can’t wait to see where we go from here!
 
Love always your Lewis Flyer,
 
Maddie #20