LC takes 1st & 3rd at Region Tourney; Poveymirow Named MVP

[February 13, 2018] 

LINCOLN, IL — The Lincoln College Men’s Volleyball A team emerged as champions of the Midwest Plains Volleyball Conference (MWPVC) North Division Regional Tournament on Saturday.

The LC B squad had an outstanding tournament as well by upsetting higher seeded competition to finish in third place at the nine-team tournament.

Lincoln A was the top seeded team going into the event and won their morning pool with ease by defeating the Lewis University B team 25-13, 25-11 and the University of Chicago 25-11, 25-13.

Lincoln College B made a major statement early in the day by upsetting Lewis University’s A team which was the top seeded team in their pool. In that match, LC B took the first set 25-18 then dropped set two 22-25. In the deciding set to 15, Lincoln jumped out to an early 5-2 lead and maintained that advantage most of the way. However, Lewis A would mount a late comeback to tie the set at 13-13. After trading several side outs, Lewis had a shot at match point when they went up 16-15, but a kill from freshman right side hitter Miguel Reyes (Puerto Rico) kept the Lynx alive and sent fellow freshman Jack Lindner (Oak Lawn) behind the service line. Lindner would deliver two points in a row to seal the win with the final point coming on an ace that nicked the top of the net and rolled over for match point.

Lincoln B would go on to win their pool and advance to the Gold Pool after defeating the University of Chicago 25-16, 25-14 in a challenge round match. Meanwhile, the Lincoln A group dispatched Bradley University 25-17, 25-17 to win their challenge round match and move into the same Gold Pool with Lincoln B. The third member of the Gold pool would be the team from Butler University. Butler advanced to Gold by winning their morning pool and defeating Lewis A 25-23, 28-26 in the challenge round.

The first match in the Gold Pool pitted the Lincoln College A team against the Lincoln College B team. This would be the first time in program history that two teams from Lincoln College faced each other in tournament play. Lincoln B came out strong and took set one from the A team 25-20, but was unable to keep the momentum going in set two. Lincoln A jumped out to a 7-1 advantage then cruised to a 25-13 set win. The deciding set to 15 was not much of a contest as LC A dominated play to win it 15-3.

In round two, LC B played Butler and again was unable to get much going on offense. Butler would win in two set 25-20, 25-9. The loss ended LC B’s day with a 3-2 record and a third place finish overall.

The final match of the Gold Pool between Lincoln A and Butler would decide first and second place in the tournament. Butler looked unstoppable in set one as they used aggressive jump serves and a powerful attack to build a 7-1 lead. LC would not be able to recover from their poor start and dropped the set 25-14.

Lincoln College Men's Volleyball Team A

The Lynx rallied in set two and got off to a much better start to go up 3-1. With their confidence restored, Lincoln was able to maintain a two-to-three point advantage for most of the rest of the set. Much of the change in momentum was due to the strong play of LC middle hitters Michael Wesley (North Chicago) and Deantrius Coleman (North Chicago). Wesley and Coleman would combine for 15 kills in the match with much of their damage coming in the second set.

Lincoln looked poised to finish off the set quickly when they went up 21-18, but Butler responded with a four-point run to go up 22-21. Lincoln managed a side out to stop the bleeding and from there the two teams battled back and forth until Michael Wesley went behind the line with the score tied at 26-26. Wesley would serve two points with one coming on a Butler hitting error and the other on a kill by Coleman to end the set 28-26.

In set three, Lincoln rode the momentum of their set two win to lead all the way for a 15-11 victory to end the match. Against Butler, Michael Wesley led the team in kills with nine and he served three points. Setter Brian Orellana finished the match with a team-high 15 set assists and four digs.

Freshman libero Joudiel Poveymirow (Puerto Rico) was named tournament MVP for his performance at this event. In the final match against Butler, Poveymirow led his team in points scored with five and in digs with 16.

Lincoln College Assistant Coach Candace Company guided the Lincoln A team through this event. Company was impressed with the team’s performance and had high praise for her Povymirow and middle hitter, Michael Wesley. “Joudiel’s defense and passing were strong all day so he certainly deserved the MVP recognition. Mike came up big in the championship match as well and really made a difference for our team,” said Company.

LC Head Coach Mark Tippett led the LC B team at this event as was also happy with their outcome.

Tippett said, “For our B team to come away with a top three finish in this event is quite an achievement. They are a young team and still learning how to play together, so for them to be competing at the level they are right now is great to see.”

Lincoln (15-6 combined) will be in action next on Tuesday evening for a dual set of matches at home against the Missouri Baptist JV and the Greeneville varsity team. Match times are set for 4:00 and 6:00 p.m.

[Mark Tippett
Lincoln College
Sports Information]