Aug. 28, 2004

PENSACOLA, Fla.--Sophomore opposite hitter Sarah McKinney recorded one of the finest matches of her young career as she helped lead the Lewis University women's volleyball team to a 28-30, 30-19, 30-13, 30-26 victory over Montevallo (0-3).

The Flyers (3-0) fell behind in a match for the first time this season after losing game 1, but the team rallied for a pair of easy victories in games 2 and 3 to regain momentum. Lewis then utilized a 6-2 finishing burst in game 4 to close out the match.

McKinney led the team with 23 kills and had just one hitting error in 46 attempts. She hit .478 for the match and added 14 digs. She has averaged 3.9 kills per game and hit .327 in Lewis' first three matches of the season.

Fellow sophomore Theresa Nugent complimented McKinney on the outside with 18 kills and 15 digs of her own. Also in the offensive mix, were sophomore Lindsay Grim (nine kills, .444 hitting percentage) and freshman Rebecca Lisle (six kills).

The Flyers stingy defense led to a 100-85 dig advantage and a 10-7 block margin. Senior Maggie Haen topped 30 digs for the second time in her career with a career-best 31 digs. Lisle and freshman Jessica Lockhart led Lewis with six blocks each; Lisle had six block assists, while Lockhart had two solos and four assists.

The Flyers will look to complete an undefeated weekend as they conclude play in the Comfort Inn-Vitational at 4:30 p.m. against West Alabama (0-3).