ROMEOVILLE – The Lewis men’s volleyball team has won some huge matches through the years at Neil Carey Arena, and the Flyers added another chapter Thursday night.
Lewis (10-4, 4-1), ranked No. 9 in the nation, swept defending national champion and No. 4-ranked Ohio State (11-3, 4-1), 25-18, 25-22, 25-23, in a key Midwest Intercollegiate Volleyball Association matchup.
Ryan Coenen had 21 kills, a .514 hitting percentage and six digs for the Flyers.
Mitch Perinar chipped in eight kills, and Kyle Bugee added five kills and four digs.
Matt Yoshimoto dished out 30 assists, and Michael Simmons contributed eight digs.
For the match, the Flyers hit .373 while Ohio State hit .338. The Flyers had five aces, five blocks and 26 digs for the match, while OSU totaled one ace, two blocks and 28 digs.
BOYS BASKETBALL
Lincoln-Way Central 60, Lincoln-Way West 38: The Lincoln-Way Central boys basketball team tuned up Thursday night for the Class 4A regional it will host next week with a 60-38 Southwest Suburban Red win over district rival Lincoln-Way West. The Knights (15-11, 7-5) received 20 points from Andrew Hancock and 12 from Luke Handley. They are the No. 12 seed in the Romeoville Sectional and will face
No. 22 West in a quarterfinal rematch at 7:30 p.m. Monday.
YOUTH HOCKEY
Jaguars’ 18U plays Saturday for title: Few hockey players from in and around Northern Illinois ever get the opportunity to play for a Northern Illinois Hockey League championship, the equivalent of a Stanley Cup for travel hockey players between the ages of 6 and 18. Even fewer fall short one year but earn the opportunity to gain redemption at Inwood Ice Arena during a championship weekend the next year.
Ten members of the Jaguars’ U18 team, however, will have that opportunity when they face off with the Skokie Flyers at 4:30 p.m. Saturday. The Jaguars were the runner-up team last season.
The Jaguar Hockey Club hosts the two championship weekends, which culminate the league playoffs, at Inwood each year. This year, the playoff series is known as the NIHL Blackhawks Tournament after a new sponsorship agreement announced at the start of the season by NIHL, the largest youth hockey league in Illinois, and the Chicago Blackhawks.
There will be 21 championship games played at Inwood over the course of the next two weekends, beginning with the first puck drop at
9 a.m. Saturday. The games are open to the public. Admission will be charged.
WOMEN’S TRACK
St. Francis’ Moody cited: USF’s Jenna Moody (Plainfield Central) was named the NAIA Women’s Indoor Track Athlete of the Week. She put 40.5 team points on the board as the Saints finished third at the CCAC Championships last weekend. She won the 60 meters (7.73 seconds), 200 meters (25.39), 400 meters (57.46) and 1,600-meter relay (3:59.46). All four times met NAIA qualifying standards, and she also placed second in the long jump (5.41 meters).
MEN’S TRACK
St. Francis’ Blaylock honored: USF’s Brian Blaylock has been named NAIA Men’s Indoor Track Athlete of the Week. At the CCAC Championships, he recorded three NAIA “A” qualifying standards. He won the 3,000 (8:35.12 seconds) and placed second in both the mile (4:16.18) and the 1,000 (2:30.45).
COLLEGE COMMITMENT
Wroblewski to Augustana: Lincoln-Way East senior boys volleyball player Mark Wroblewski has announced he will continue his career at Augustana.