No. 15 Lewis Falls To MIVA Leader No. 12 Loyola In Three

CHICAGO - No. 15 Lewis men’s volleyball returned to Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association play on Tuesday evening at conference-leading No. 12 Loyola-Chicago. Unfortunately for the Flyers they came out on the short end of a 30-26, 30-23, 30-28 decision at Alumni Gym.

Both teams hit over .400 in the opening set however Loyola benefited from four ace serves compared to one for the Flyers. The Ramblers’ Mike Bunting had eight kills in the opening frame.

The Flyers raced out to a 14-11 advantage in set two and forced Loyola to ask for time. The break kick started an 11-5 Ramblers run to give Loyola a 22-19 lead. Loyola stayed hot from there to take the set by seven points.

Loyola turned an 11-all third set into a 16-12 lead thanks to a 5-1 run. The Ramblers led by as many as five however Lewis pushed back and made it a two-point game at 25-23 thanks in part to aggressive serving by freshman Ian Karbiener (Orlando, Fla./Olympia). An ace by junior Brian Muesenfechter (St. Louis, Mo./Christian Brothers) that hit the tape and gently fell on Loyola’s side made it a one-point game at 28-27. Following a Loyola timeout, the teams traded points to make it 29-28. On match point Lewis was called for a blocking error on a Loyola attempt which would have been wide and extended the match.

Senior Nathan Klaas (Orland Park, Ill./Sandburg) finished with 16 kills and five digs. Karbiener totaled 10 kills, six digs and three aces. Muesenfechter added seven kills and two aces. Sophomore Matt Gallik (Evergreen Park, Ill./Brother Rice) totaled seven kills and three blocks (one solo).

Lewis, who ranks second in the nation in blocks per set (3.46), was limited to just five in the match.

“I was happy with the improvement in our offense tonight,” head coach Dan Friend said. “We put up good numbers against a team we struggled against last time. However I was disappointed in our block defense tonight. For as good as we’ve blocked lately, to see it not show up tonight was disappointing.”

Loyola, the nation’s leader in aces, recorded seven aces to Lewis’ five. Loyola was led by 18 kills by Domenic Dewaele.

The Ramblers out-hit Lewis .484 to .340.

Loyola improves to 14-3 (7-0 MIVA) while Lewis falls to 13-7 (3-3 MIVA). Lewis continues MIVA play on Friday with a home match against Quincy. First serve is slated for 7 p.m.