FORT WAYNE, Ind. –  The Purdue Fort Wayne men’s volleyball team picked up their second league win of the week with a 3-1 (25-23, 25-12, 13-25, 27-25) on Friday (Feb. 24) evening over Lewis on Arnie Ball Court at the Gates Sports Center.

Zach Solomon delivered an ace on match point to clinch the contest for the Mastodons. He finished with 38 assists, three kills and two aces. He ran an offense that out-hit the Flyers .310 to .235. The ‘Dons had three student-athletes reach double-digit kills. Jon Diedrich hit .295 with 16 kills. Mark Frazier hit .333 with 11 kills and 10 digs for a double-double. Bryce Walker added 10 kills.

The story of the night defensively came at the net where Purdue Fort Wayne held a 16.5 to 6.5 advantage in blocks. Ryan Steponaitis had a match-high seven block assists while Frazier added six. Walker finished with eight blocks (two solo).  

The ‘Dons needed only one set point in the first frame thanks to a Walker kill that won the set 25-23. The second set was all Purdue Fort Wayne. The set featured a 9-1 Mastodon run with five different Mastodons recording a kill in the stretch. The ‘Dons out-hit the Flyers .462 to .000 in the frame.

Purdue Fort Wayne’s attempt for a sweep was denied swiftly by the Flyers as Lewis flipped the switch by out-hitting the Mastodons .391 to .094 in the third set.

The ‘Dons trailed 24-23 in the fourth. A Lewis service error denied the Flyers a chance to win the set. Walker followed with an ace to put the ‘Dons in control before Solomon’s ace won it.

The ‘Dons improve to 12-4 (3-3 MIVA) and return to the court on March 4 at Loyola.  Lewis is now 8-9 (2-4 MIVA).