Match Stats
- #5 Lewis def. #9 Loyola Chicago 3-2 (19-25, 25-19, 22-25, 25-15, 15-11)
- Lewis improves to 12-3
- Loyola drops to 9-5
The Lewis Flyers outlasted Loyola Chicago in a marathon 5-setter on the road Saturday, winning 3-2.
The two programs went back and forth early, with Loyola winning the first and third sets but Lewis answering back in sets two and four. But a 15-11 win in the fifth added to Lewis’s momentum and earned the program its 12th win of the season.
Mitch Perinar led all players with 15 kills for Lewis, followed closely by Loyola’s Ben Plaisted (14).
Press Releases:
Lewis:
Chicago, Ill. – The No. 5 Lewis University men’s volleyball team picked up its sixth five-set win of the season as the Flyers rallied for the 19-25, 25-19, 22-25, 25-15, 15-11 Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association victory over No. 9 Loyola at Gentile Arena on Friday (Feb. 24).
The six five-set wins are the most during the tenure of Flyer head men’s volleyball coach Dan Friend‘s tenure. It is also Lewis’ fourth-straight victory after losing the first set of the match.
Lewis redshirt sophomore outside hitter Mitch Perinar (Channahon, Ill./Minooka) picked up a match-high 15 kills, while redshirt freshman outside hitter Ryan Coenen (Franklin, Wis./Franklin) finished with 13 kills and hit .417 (13 kills, 3 errors, 24 attacks) in the win.
With the win, Lewis improves to 12-3 overall and 7-2 in MIVA play while the host Ramblers fall to 9-5 on the campaign and 5-2 in conference play.
Lewis sophomore setter Matt Yoshimoto (Ventura, Calif./Adolfo Camarillo) finished with a match-high 42 assists – along with eight digs.
Flyer redshirt sophomore libero Michael Simmons (Aurora, Ill./Waubonsie Valley) netted a match-high nine digs, while senior middle blocker John Hodul (Orland Park, Ill./Sandburg) had a match-high six blocks (1 solo).
As a team, Lewis hit .307 (52-17-114), while Loyola connected for a hitting percentage of .236 (54-25-123). The Flyers also enjoyed a 12.5-6.0 advantage in blocks over the Ramblers.
Lewis returns to action on Saturday (Feb. 25) as the Flyers host Mt. Olive for a 7 PM first serve at Neil Carey Arena.
Loyola:
CHICAGO –
Final Score: No. 5 Lewis 3, No. 9 Loyola 2 (19-25, 25-19, 22-25, 25-15, 15-11)
Records: Loyola (9-5, 5-2 MIVA); Lewis (12-3, 7-2 MIVA)
Location: Gentile Arena — Chicago, Ill.
Stats: Box Score 
| Season Stats
In Short
No. 5 Lewis rallied from a 2-1 deficit in the match to record a 19-25, 25-19, 22-25, 25-15, 25-11 victory over No. 9 Loyola University Chicago Friday night at Gentile Arena. The loss snaps the Ramblers’ home win streak at five matches and drops them to 9-5 overall and 5-2 in Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA) play. Lewis improves to 12-3 overall and 7-2 in the MIVA.
How It Happened
Ben Plaisted helped Loyola get off to a fast start as he tallied three kills to help the Ramblers open up an early 5-1 lead in the opening set. Lewis fought back and got within a point on five occasions, the final time coming on a Kyle Bugee kill that trimmed Loyola’s lead to 16-15. The Ramblers found new life, however, when Bugee’s service error ignited a 5-0 Rambler run that put the set out of reach. All five of Loyola’s points during that decisive stretch came via Flyer errors, including a block by Plaisted.
The second set was a 180 reversal of set one as this time it was Lewis that scored five unanswered points to break open the action. With the score tied at 6, a kill by Ryan Coenen allowed Lewis to reclaim the lead and it would tack on four more points before Loyola slowed the Flyers, who would go on to earn a 25-19 victory.
The third set was a back-and-forth battle until Bugee’s attack error kicked off a 5-1 Loyola run, that was punctuated by a kill from Cole Murray, that turned a tie into a 20-16 Rambler lead. Lewis would charge back and evened the set at 22 on a Mitch Perinar kill, but consecutive stops from Jeff Jendryk and an ace from Murray gave Loyola a 25-22 win.
Plaisted opened the fourth set with a kill, but then it was all Flyers from there. Lewis ripped off seven of the next eight points to seize a 7-2 lead and it never looked back en route to a 25-15 victory that forced a fifth and deciding set. Loyola hit just .037 (8-7-27) in the fourth set.
Midway through the fifth and final set, the teams were deadlocked at 7, but a kill from Perinar sparked a mini spurt of three straight Flyer points that gave them a 10-7 lead. After falling behind by as many as four points, at 12-8, Loyola rallied and closed within a point (12-11) on a Jendryk/Ian Cowen block. But, Lewis would notch the final three points of the set to capture the victory.
Inside The Box Score
– Plaisted totaled a team-high 14 kills to lead Loyola, which also received 11 kills from Murray.
– Jendryk pitched in 12 kills, hitting .632 (12-0-19), and also added three blocks, for Loyola.
– Perinar led all players with 15 kills.
Up Next
Loyola opens up a four-match road trip when it visits Quincy on March 2.
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