Lewis middle hitter Bobby Walsh missed the Flyers first showdown with Loyola due to a bout with mononucleosis. There was no way the 6-9 junior would be absent from the second.
Walsh gave No. 4 Lewis a tenacious presence at the net as the Flyers completed the regular-season sweep over No. 2 Loyola with a 22-25, 25-16, 25-22, 25-23 Midwest Intercollegiate Volleyball Association victory Wednesday night at Neil Carey Arena.
“I’d never sat out a game my whole career here, so it was tough sitting out a big match like that,” Walsh said. “Coming out (Wednesday), I was little nervous, but we did it. It was awesome to be a part of it.”
Walsh had 4.5 blocks and Lewis won the battle at the net with 18 blocks to Loyola’s seven. Greg Petty had 14 kills, Eric Fitterer had 11 and Scott Fifer dished 32 assists for the Flyers (20-2, 11-1 MIVA).
Thomas Jaeschke paced Loyola (18-2, 10-2) with a match-high 19 kills. Ben Plaisted and Cody Caldwell chipped in eight kills apiece and Peter Hutz had 41 assists.
“(Jaeschke) is one of the toughest guys to block,” Walsh said. “When I get a block on him, I get amped up every time.”
Loyola survived in Game 1 despite eight service errors. Much of that had to do with the play of Jaeschke, who put away eight kills on a robust .667 hitting percentage. He scored on back-to-back kills for a 19-17 lead and put down an ace for a 24-21 advantage.
“Thomas is a fantastic player — one of the best in the country right now — so you’ve got to slow him down and force the other guys to beat you,” Lewis coach Danny Friend said. “We did a good job of that as the match progressed.”
With Lewis’ focus on shutting down Jaeschke, Petty carried the offensive load in the next game. The Flyers had a paltry four kills in the opening set, but managed 15 in the second behind five from the 6-6 outside hitter.
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Lewis took a 3-0 lead in both the third and fourth games, but needed to gut out victories after Loyola rallies. In the third, Lewis scored the final five points highlighted by a Petty kill and three straight Loyola errors.
“We didn’t really match their energy in the first game, but from the second game and on we started picking it up and playing better,” Fitterer said. “It wasn’t just one person or one play, it was the whole team.”
Fitterer went to work in the fourth set with six of his 11 kills. With the game tied at 22, the 6-8 opposite blasted two kills around a Lewis service error for a 24-23 lead. Walsh followed by putting the match away with a kill on an overpass.
“I thought (Fitterer) was huge in the last game-and-a-half,” Friend said. “He really came up big for us from the service line and up at the net.”
The loss is just the second in nearly 15 months for defending NCAA champ Loyola.
College Softball
Trinity Christian 3-9, Robert Morris 0-0: Jenna Steinkamp hurled a complete game and also went 3-for-3 with an RBI to lead host Trinity Christian (8-14, 4-8) in Game 1 of the CCAC doubleheader. Adrianna Puente (2-hitter) went the distance in Game 2 for the Trolls.
Baseball
Joliet Catholic 8, Marmion 1: K.C. Simonich, Nick Dalesandro and Connor Brandon contributed two RBI apiece for host Joliet Catholic (3-0).
Providence 18, Minooka 7: Jackson Dvorak (2-for-3, 4 runs, 6 RBI) hit a pair of two-run homers to spark host Providence (5-0) in the WJOL Invitational.
St. Laurence 12, Harlan 4: Frank Greco (3-for-3, 2 runs) had three doubles and six RBI to lead host St. Laurence (3-1).
Stagg 13, Eisenhower 3: Mike Bibbiano went 4-for-4 with two runs and four RBI to propel host Stagg (4-2).
Brother Rice 9, Lane 2: Ryan King (3-for-3) and Mike Schalasky (2-for-3) posted two RBI each for host Brother Rice (6-1).
Marian Catholic 19, Crete-Monee 7: Chris Austyn (2-for-2, 3 runs) clubbed a three-run homer and totaled six RBI to lift visiting Marian Catholic (1-1-1).
Marist 8, De La Salle 7: Ryan Kairis and John Carmody posted two RBI apiece for host Marist (2-1).
Lockport 6, Thornton 1: Nick Kenney and Craig Kozubowski struck out 11 in combining on a two-hitter for host Lockport (3-1).
St. Rita 9, Oak Park-River Forest 6: Tyler Halas and Anthony Faron each went 3-for-4 with a run for visiting St. Rita (10-0) in the Do It Stevie’s Way Tournament.
Homewood-Flossmoor 10, Bremen 1: James Sheehan slugged a two-run homer for visiting Homewood-Flossmoor (2-1).
Oak Forest 11, Rich Central 4: Kevin Johnson (3-for-4, triple) piled up three runs and three RBI to key host Oak Forest (3-3).
Evergreen Park 4, Riverside-Brookfield 0: Joe Moran tossed a one-hitter and struck out eight to pace host Evergreen Park (3-1).
Lyons 7, Sandburg 4: Danny Dziadkowiec (3-for-4, 2 doubles) generated two RBI for host Sandburg (3-1).
Mount Carmel 16, Morgan Park 1: Bobby Seymour (run) was 3-for-4 with three RBI for Mount Carmel (6-0) at the RailCats High School Challenge in Gary, Ind.
Lincoln-Way North 11, Oak Lawn 1: Josh Mutter (2-for-2, 4 RBI) starred for host Lincoln-Way North (3-3).
Lincoln-Way North 11, Crown Point (Ind.) 1: Ben Troike (3-for-3, 4 runs) had two homers and three RBI for host Lincoln-Way North in its first game of the day.
Softball
Lincoln-Way East 4, Mother McAuley 1: Jenny Van Geertry’s suicide squeeze bunt started a three-run ninth for visiting Lincoln-Way East (2-0).
Joliet Catholic 4, Morris 3: Alyssa Callans (9 strikeouts) pitched a complete game and also hit a tiebreaking homer in the seventh inning to guide visiting Joliet Catholic (2-2).
Tinley Park 14, Evergreen Park 0: Cosette Tomita and Alex Laphen each went 3-for-3 with three runs scored for visiting Tinley Park (5-0, 3-0) in the South Suburban crossover.
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Lincoln-Way West 4, Plainfield East 2: Dani Morgan (2-for-2, HR) and Amanda Ruskowsky (complete game, 7 strikeouts) starred for host Lincoln-Way West (3-0).
Stagg 6, Hoffman Estates 4: Alexis Minet’s three doubles and three RBI powered visiting Stagg (3-4).
Marian Catholic 8, Minooka 2: Allison Spence (4-0) went the distance in addition to clubbing a two-run homer for host Marian Catholic (4-0).
Girls Soccer
Lincoln-Way East 8, Marian Catholic 0: Lindsey Murphy put in four goals for host Lincoln-Way East (7-0).
Boys Volleyball
Lockport 25-25, Plainfield South 20-20: Anthony Pfeiffer racked up 11 assists, five kills and five aces for visiting Lockport (6-1).
St. Rita 25-24-25, Mount Carmel 23-26-21: Jack Regnier had 15 assists and Liam Kelly added nine kills to lead visiting St. Rita (3-5, 1-1) in the Catholic League.
Logan Malloy is a freelance writer. Freelance writer Josh Krockey contributed to this story.