093_HR0289

 
                                     LRB093 11781 HSS 15779 r

 1                          HOUSE RESOLUTION

 2        WHEREAS,  The  members   of   the   Illinois   House   of
 3    Representatives  wish  to  congratulate  the Lewis University
 4    Flyers Men's Volleyball team on  winning  the  NCAA  national
 5    title  at  The  Pyramid  in  Long Beach, California on May 3,
 6    2003; and

 7        WHEREAS, The Flyers became the  first  NCAA  Division  II
 8    school  and the first school from the Midwest Intercollegiate
 9    Volleyball  Association  (MIVA)  to  win   the   men's   NCAA
10    volleyball championship; and

11        WHEREAS,   The  championship  is  the  first  NCAA  major
12    national title for schools from the Chicago area since Loyola
13    University won the 1963 basketball championship; and

14        WHEREAS, The Flyers won the championship with a  dramatic
15    3-2  5-set  victory  (42-44, 30-27, 30-27, 23-30, 15-12) over
16    the number one seeded Brigham Young University Cougars; and

17        WHEREAS, Lewis was  ranked  number  four  in  the  nation
18    coming into the tournament; and

19        WHEREAS,  Lewis advanced to the Championship match with a
20    victory over Pepperdine, the number two team in  the  nation,
21    in the NCAA semifinals; and

22        WHEREAS,  Under the leadership of Head Coach Dave Deuser,
23    Assistant  Coach  Ryan  McNeil,  and  Student  Manager   John
24    Sullivan,  the  team ended the season with an impressive 29-5
25    record, including victories over Penn  State,  Loyola,  UCLA,
26    Stanford, and Ohio State; and

27        WHEREAS,  The members of the team are: Enrique Escalante,
28    Jose Castellano, Alex Karjavine, Weyni Johnson,  Jeff  Soler,
29    Matt  Mueller,  Ryan  Stuntz, Fabiano Barreto, Gustavo Meyer,
30    Kevin Miller, Brandon Sisk, Marco Quintana,  Greg  Pochopien,
 
                            -2-      LRB093 11781 HSS 15779 r
 1    James Elsea (Captain), and Jose Martins (Captain); and

 2        WHEREAS,  Ryan Stuntz, Fabiano Barreto, and Gustavo Meyer
 3    were named to the all-NCAA  tournament  team  and  Meyer  was
 4    chosen as the tournament's most valuable player; and

 5        WHEREAS,  Meyer  finished  with  21 kills, Barreto had 18
 6    kills, Stuntz had 15 digs, and Martins had 55 assists for the
 7    Flyers in the Championship match; and

 8        WHEREAS, In its ten year history,  the  men's  volleyball
 9    team  has  been  incredibly successful, reaching the national
10    semifinals three times, losing to UCLA in 1996 and 1998; and

11        WHEREAS, Lewis University, which began as an aeronautical
12    school, is a Catholic and Lasallian university where aviation
13    continues to be a hallmark program; therefore, be it

14        RESOLVED,  BY  THE  HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES   OF   THE
15    NINENTY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
16    we  congratulate  the  team  members and coaches of the Lewis
17    University Men's Volleyball Team on winning the NCAA national
18    title; and be it further

19        RESOLVED, That a suitable  copy  of  this  resolution  be
20    presented  to University President Brother James Gaffney, FSC
21    and to each of the coaches and members of the team as a token
22    of our respect and an expression of our esteem.