April 13, 2012

ROMEOVILLE, Ill. - No. 9 Lewis men’s volleyball swept Grand Canyon University (25-23, 25-20, 25-14) in a Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association match at Neil Carey Arena on Friday (April 13). The win is Lewis’ 22^nd victory of the season, the most since Dan Friend took over in 2005. The win also clinches the No. 2 seed in the MIVA Tournament. Lewis can earn a share of the 2012 regular season MIVA Championship with a win on Saturday.
 
Lewis held a 22-18 advantage during the first set when Grand Canyon rallied back with a Lewis attack error and a Grand Canyon kill to put the game at 20-22. The two teams rallied back and forth until an eventual Grand Canyon service error gave Lewis the game at 25-23. The Flyers recorded three aces during the set, and out-hit the Antelopes .367 to .286.
 
The Flyers jumped out to a quick 8-3 lead in the second set. Following a Lewis attack error Grand Canyon tied the game at 16 apiece. No worries for the Flyers though, as they took control of the frame with a 6-1 run.
 
Similar to the second set, Lewis jumped out to a fast 7-1 lead over Grand Canyon, however this time the Flyers would push to the finish without ever trailing. Offensively, the Flyers outhit Grand Canyon .550 to .111 in the set.
 
Junior Jay Petty (Downers Grove, Ill./Downers Grove North) delivered a double-double as he led the Flyers with 13 kills and 10 digs. Freshman Geoff Powell (Claremont, Calif./Claremont) recorded 12 kills and five digs. Defensively, Lewis held a 11.5 to 4.5 blocking advantage, keeping Grand Canyon at a .198 hitting percentage. The Flyers recorded 29 digs to Grand Canyon’s 19. The Antelopes lead the nation in digs per set (10.27). Lewis finished with five aces and six service errors while Grand Canyon had just two aces and 12 errors.
 
"We really did a nice job from the service line," Lewis head coach Dan Friend said. "When you're serving like that that type of pace makes it really tough on the other team."
 
Grand Canyon falls to 15-15 (5-6 MIVA). Lewis improves to 22-6 (8-3 MIVA).  
 
"Our pins were great and our middles controlled the defensive flow from the front line," Friend said.
 
Lewis welcomes Grand Canyon back to Neil Carey Arena on Saturday (April 14) evening. The match closes out the regular season play for the Flyers. First serve is set for 7 p.m. Not only is a share of the regular season MIVA title on the line, but a win would also give the Flyers a perfect home record of 14-0 in the regular season.