Lewandowski blocks his way to first career Heart Defender of the Week honor

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - During a five-match week that saw the Clarke men's volleyball team go 2-3 against some quality comeptition, junior middle Stephen Lewandowski earned his first career Defender of the Week honor in the Heart of America Athletic Conference, Heart officials announced Monday afternoon.

Lewandowski finished week with 28 total blocks, one solo and 27 block assists, to average 1.75 blocks per set as he never finished with less than four blocks in any of the matches he played in. His offensive contributions also played a big factor into his successful week as he finished with 28 kills and only had two errors in the entire week to hit .400 or better in each match.

The Pride earned sweep wins over Morningside and RV Ottawa (Kan.) on Friday and Saturday last week while dropping matches to No. 1 Grand View, RV Mount Mercy, and No. 14 Saint Xavier. Over the six sets in their two sweep wins, Lewandowski had 13 kills on 23 attempts while finishing each match with four block assists.

In the loss to No. 1 Grand View, the Pride ended up taking a set from the Vikings as Lewandowski played a big role of hanging with the defending NAIA National Champions. He went 6-for-11 with one error on the attack for a .455 hitting percentage while blocking nine total attacks from Grand View with a solo and eight assists to finish the match with 11 points responsible for.

Pride men's volleyball will continue their season this week with a rematch against Mount Mercy in Cedar Rapids, Iowa this Tuesday as their only match of the week.