ROMEOVILLE, Ill. - University of St. Francis played competitively in the first two games but NCAA Division II Lewis just had too much firepower as the Flyers defeated the Saints in three games (25-16, 25-23 and 25-11) at the Neil Carey Arena Wednesday night.

Lewis (6-3) broke open a close first game with a run of five straight points to extend an 11-10 lead to a 16-10 margin and the Saints could get no closer than within four points in the rest of the 25-16 opening set.

The Saints (6-5, 1-0) jumped out to an early 6-3 lead in game two and never trailed the Flyers by more than three points throughout the game. USF served at 23-23 but failed to score on that play and then Lewis registered the game point for a 25-23 win.

Game three was all Lewis as the Flyers leaped out to an 8-2 lead and never let the Saints get any closer than within three points throughout the set.

Sophomore outside hitter Kristee Conrad (Stagg H.S./Hickory Hills, IL) led USF with 7 kills on the match and she tallied 4 of those 7 in the first game. Junior middle blocker Lauren Hoffman (Plainfield South H.S./Plainfield, IL) added 6 kills.

Senior Karen Gruber (Bradley-Bourbonnais H.S./Bourbonnais, IL) led the Saints with 13 serve receptions in as many tries, while senior libero Courtney Ambrosch (Joliet Township H.S./Joliet, IL) topped the team with 17 digs. Conrad also led the defense with a pair of digs.

USF travels to Marion, Ind., this weekend to participate in the Indiana Wesleyan University Wildcat Classic. The Saints play host Indiana Wesleyan and Bethel (IN) on Friday and then match up against Goshen (IN) and Malone (OH) on Saturday.