INDIANAPOLIS – The UIndy volleyball team entered Friday night's match with 23rd-ranked Lewis with more work to do in order to punch their ticket into next week's Great Lakes Valley Conference tournament. The Hounds will have to wait another day, however, to assure themselves a spot in their 16th-consecutive conference tournament after dropping in straight sets to the division rival Flyers (25-18, 25-22, 25-19).

Sitting in fourth place in the GLVC East division heading into Friday, Indianapolis (14-16, 10-7 GLVC) could have clinched a tournament bid with a win, however the Flyers proved to be too much for the Greyhounds and a raucous Ruth Lilly Center crowd.

On the eve of "Senior Day" – where the Hounds will bid farewell to Hailey Brown, Jamie Wallace, Hannah Bauer and Natalie Wichern – Friday night's "Pack the House" event surely energized the building in a way that hadn't been seen all season.

Lewis jumped out to a quick 8-3 lead in the opening set, laying the foundation of a game plan and tone that they would replicate all evening. Junior Becca Lira tallied one of her team-high ten kills to bring UIndy to within four at 20-16, but the Hounds would get no closer and the Flyers took the first set, 25-18.

Trailing 20-15 in the second set, the Greyhounds began to feed off the crowd's energy and appeared to be getting themselves back into the match.

Consecutive kills from freshmen Kate Bontrager and Katie Voelz brought the Hounds to within striking distance at 23-20, and Lira followed with a kill to cut the lead to 24-22. A Lewis timeout sent the Indianapolis student section – predominantly led by members of the men's lacrosse team – into a frenzy before the Flyers deflated the arena by winning the next point, and subsequently, the second set.

Indianapolis regrouped following the intermission and were able to jump out to an early advantage in the third set. Freshman Maggie Gibson (28 assists) strung together four consecutive service points to open the set, giving the Hounds their largest lead of any point in the night.

But as had been the case in the prior two games, the No. 23 Flyers stayed the course, chipping away at the lead before eventually pulling away in the latter part of the third.

For UIndy now, they'll return to the Ruth Lily Center tomorrow for the regular season finale with Wisconsin-Parkside. A Greyhound win over the Rangers or a Truman State loss to Rockhurst would clinch a postseason spot for Indianapolis. Saturday's "Senior Day" match is set to begin at 3 p.m.