March 19, 2005

Final Stats

ROMEOVILLE, Ill.--A battle of conference heavyweights turned into a three-round knockout as the 14th-ranked Lewis University men's volleyball team swept Ohio State 30-26, 30-19, 30-27.

The Flyers' (13-9, 8-1 Midwest Intercollegiate Volleyball Association) victory gives them sole possession of second place in the league and marks their fifth straight win.

"This was an exciting match to be a part of," said Lewis head coach Dan Friend. "Everyone did their role, we stuck to our game plan and attacked the match ups we wanted, and we stayed steady throughout."

Lewis moved the ball around and got all five of its hitters involved as each player tallied at least six kills. Jeff Soler paced the team with 13 kills and Jared Dayton joined him in double digits with 10 kills. Enrique Escalante notched eight kills, while Matt Mueller and Greg Pochopien had seven and six kills, respectively. Setter Brandon Sisk handed out 37 assists.

Lewis hit .306 for the match and limited 12th-ranked Ohio State (14-6, 7-2 MIVA) to a lowly .177 hitting percentage.

The Flyers jumped out to an early 5-1 lead in game 1 and the margin held until the Buckeyes tied the game at 18-all. Lewis answered back with an ace serve by Mueller and a ball handling error from Ohio State setter Daniel Matthews to regain the lead for good at 20-18.

Game 2 was a record-setting frame for Lewis. Ohio State's 19 points were the fewest the Buckeyes have scored against the Flyers since the switch to rally scoring in 2001. The Flyers produced 12 digs and four blocks in the game to limit the Buckeyes to a .059 hitting percentage in the game.

Meanwhile on offense, Lewis hit .517 in game 2 as four players had three kills and a fourth posted four kills.

The Flyers withstood an inspired effort in game 3 from Ohio State to earn the sweep. The Buckeyes led 21-20 following a Mike Wauligman kill, but were undone on the ensuing two plays as Matthews committed consecutive ball handling errors to hand Lewis a 22-21 lead. An OSU hitting error, followed by a block from Soler and Pochopien gave the Flyers a 24-21 lead they would not relinquish.

Lewis won statistical edges in blocks (8-7) and digs (31-27) as well. J.J. Castellano tallied a match-high 11 digs for the Flyers.

Lewis will next host Findlay at 2 p.m. Sunday, March 20.