Lewis spikers set to prove they belong at the top

NEWARK, N.J. -- Many volleyball programs around the nation would love to have the kind of quick success Lewis has enjoyed.

In just their third year of existence, the Flyers went to the Final Four. Now they must prove that their success was not a fluke.

Coach David Dueser said eliminating the stereotype has been difficult for the Illinois' school with just over 4,000 students. Most other schools that size don't play Division I sports.

"After going to the Final Four last year, this is kind of a high-pressure season for us," Dueser said. "Last year was still our third season, so we still snuck up on some people. I don't think we're going to sneak up on anyone this year."

Dueser loaded his schedule this season with top-notch opposition. The Flyers took then-No. 5 BYU to five games on the Cougars home floor in just their second match of the season. Lewis lost the first of two matches with Penn State during the weekend.

Lewis also will make trips through California and Hawaii, where it plays three top ten teams in Hawaii, UCLA and UC-Santa Barbara. Dueser said his schedule worked out just the way he wanted it for his team to gain national recognition.

"We can't play just our conference teams in weak matches and expect to compete in the Final four if we would make it," he said. "The more you play great programs like Penn State, Hawaii or UCLA, the more human those players become."

In order to compete against such a schedule, Dueser has worked hard recruiting. He said much of his recruiting has an international flavor because of the lack of a talent pool in the Midwest. Illinois and Wisconsin are the lone states in the region with established boy's high school volleyball, so Lewis has players from Poland, Puerto Rico and Ontario on its roster.

Penn State coach Mark Pavlik said Lewis' quick rise to respectability can be attributed to everyone involved with the Flyers.

"Their administration has made a commitment to winning early," Pavlik said. "They've just done everything from to top to bottom."

Even though Lewis has been able to compete man-for-man with some of the nation's best, Dueser said his team's mentality needs as much work as its skill.

"You don't want your players to think we come from a small school, and we're a brand new program because then they don't go into a match with confidence," Dueser said. "They think they're outclassed so you've got to create a mentality that makes them feel they're every bit as talented as the team on the other side of the net."

Pavlik said the Penn State program was in a similar situation when men's volleyball became a varsity sport in 1978. He said for a while facing teams like Ball State and Ohio State was a daunting task when the Lions were a fledgling varsity team.

Lewis has been ranked No. 10 in the nation this season but has fallen because of losses to Ball State and the Lions. Dueser said once the Flyers clean up both their mental and physical aspects of the game, he expects them to be a mainstay in the nation's top 10.

"Volleyball is such a mental game that if you go in with a disadvantage self-confidence wise, you're going to lose," Dueser said. "I know we can move up. I know we can be in the top 10 consistently if we play up to potential, which we haven't done yet this season."