March 23, 2005

Box Score

ROMEOVILLE, Ill.--The Lewis University men's volleyball team looked to end 9th-ranked Loyola Chicago's 17-match winning streak and its unblemished conference record, but the 12th-ranked Flyers were unable to pull the upset losing in four games to the Ramblers.

Staunch defense from both sides produced an evenly played match that saw Loyola (21-1, 11-0 Midwest Intercollegiate Volleyball Association) come out on top 29-31, 31-29, 30-28, 30-24.

Lewis (13-11, 8-3 MIVA) produced a .188 hitting percentage, while Loyola connected at a .231 clip. The low totals were a result of 26 combined blocks and 85 combined digs. Loyola held edges in both categories, leading 14-12 in blocks and 43-42 in digs.

Four Flyers tallied at least 10 kills, with middle hitter Greg Pochopien leading the way with 17. The senior also had a team-high six blocks.

Jeff Soler chipped in with 16 kills, four digs and three blocks. Enrique Escalante posted 12 kills, three digs and three blocks and had a team-best .368 hitting percentage.

Setter Brandon Sisk handed out 60 assists and had seven digs. Libero J.J. Castellano notched a match-best 13 digs.

The match was especially tight in the first three games as the minimum six points determined them.

Game 1 saw Lewis overcome a 26-24 deficit and post the 31-29 victory. Down 27-26, Soler pounded a kill to tie the set. Pochopien then scored the next four points as he had three kills and a blocking error to give Lewis a 30-29 lead.

On game point, Escalante made the play of the night for the Flyers as he dove for a pancake save to keep a play alive. He then bounced back to his feet and recovered in time to solo block Loyola's attack that followed the Flyers' free ball.

The Flyers had a chance to go up two games to none with a 29-27 lead in game 2. Miscommunication on a set gave Loyola a free point and closed the gap to 29-28. Pochopien then hit the ball wide on the Flyers second game point and the set was tied at 29-all. Jared Dayton misfired on a hitting attempt on the ensuing play for a 30-29 Loyola lead. Loyola's Scott Greene and Brian Guntli ended the game with a block.

Lewis took its turn at overcoming several game points in the third game. Trailing 29-25, the Flyers closed to 29-28 and had three chances on a transition play to tie the game, but couldn't convert. Instead, Loyola put the ball away and led 2-1.

Game 4 saw the Flyers hit just .049 with Loyola hitting only marginally better at .192.

Chris Nelson, who had a match-high 19 kills and hit a match-best .563, paced Loyola. Greene added 17 kills, five digs and four blocks. Corey Kloos posted a match-high eight blocks, while Krystian Krzyak had 10 digs. Guntli registered a double double with 52 assists and 10 digs.