The Lions fell in back to back matches this weekend, breaking their first winning streak of the season.

The Lewis University Flyers swept the Lions on Saturday night in their opening MIVA match in three sets with scores of 25-15, 25-16 and 25-22.

The Lions struggled to score the first two sets but tried to make a comeback in the third set by exchanging points with the opponent. The Flyers then took advantage of a service error by the Lions and scored twice to win the match.

“I think we had a good production out of the middle of court as usual, but are still kind of struggling to find a balanced attack all the way through each set,” Adam Brewster, a senior, said.

Brewster is a setter and could not play due to health issues, but stood in the sidelines to coach and help his teammates.

“I think the extra push at the end of sets is just some mentality and situational maturity that comes with time,” he said.

Brewster added that the Lions need to concentrate on having more consistent serves and passes in order to find the rhythm.

“It is something we are constantly working on as a team,” Brewster added.

According to the Lindenwood Lions website, Charley Havlin led the Lions offense with eight kills, seven digs and two blocks. Sam Schindler followed as the best hitter of the night with a .429 hitting percentage. Freshmen Phil Swartz and Brian Schwob recorded seven kills and 27 assists respectively.

The Lions lost to Loyola University Chicago on Sunday night in a closer match.

The Lions started fired up in the first set, which they won 25-22, but the Ramblers won the next set by the same score. The third set was close but two kills would give the Ramblers the win 25-23. The Lions lost the fourth and final set 16-25.

Brewster stepped in the court and collected 37 assists and 12 digs for his first double-double of the season.

“I felt a little rusty but it felt pretty normal by the end,” Brewster said. “I’m just glad to be back out there.”

The Lions are now 4-8 overall and 0-2 in MIVA matches and will come back on Wednesday to compete against the McKendree Bearcats in Lebanon, Illinois.