Lehigh University Athletics
Mountain Hawks host Colgate on Dig Pink Night
10/23/2008 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
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The Mountain Hawks (8-13, 3-4) currently sit tied with the Raiders for the fourth and final spot in the Patriot League Tournament, with both teams trailing the Bison by just one game for third place. With just seven games remaining on the schedule, a two-game winning or losing streak in league matches would go a long way towards determining the playoff picture.
The first test for the Brown and White will come on Friday night, when it hosts the Raiders at 7 p.m. Win or lose, the Mountain Hawks will have to recover quickly to face off with the Bison on Saturday at 4 p.m.
“Every match is important, especially when you’re one of those teams on the brink,” Lehigh head coach Jenny Maurer said. “There’s no set number of wins to get you into the tournament, so we know each one of our games is vital.”
Friday’s match with the Raiders marks the culmination of Pink Week at Lehigh, put on by the Panhellenic Council and aimed at raising awareness and funds for breast cancer research. Fans can participate in the Dig Pink campaign by donating to the pink volleyballs in the arena. More than $130,000 has already been raised by Dig Pink at high school and college volleyball matches this season.
The Brown and White comes into the weekend with eight wins, more than any other Lehigh team in five years. The Mountain Hawks hope to continue their winning ways this weekend, after claiming victories in each of their last two matches, against Holy Cross on October 17 and
“No matter what happens this weekend, we have another shot at each of these teams,” Maurer said. “We’re excited about the position we’ve put ourselves in. The goal now is to maintain that position.”
This is the 38th meeting between the Raiders and Mountain Hawks all time. Lehigh trails the overall series 12-25, and the Brown and White has not won against Colgate in seven tries. The Bison, meanwhile, have won the last 11 matches against Lehigh, but the Mountain Hawks control the all-time series 35-21 in the 56 meetings between the schools in history.
Angelika Kopacz’ 3.39 kills per set continue to lead the Mountain Hawks, and place her fourth in the Patriot League. Her performances last week against Army and Holy Cross helped her earn Patriot League rookie of the week honors for the third time this season.
Meanwhile, freshman libero Emma Melendez has helped lead an improved defense that ranks fourth in the Patriot League in opponent hitting percentage (.204), Melendez’ 3.81 digs per set rank second in the league, just behind Colgate’s Jackie Adlam (3.97).
Fans can catch a live broadcast of both matches this weekend by tuning in to Lehighsports.com with Robbie Aaron providing the commentary on Saturday.
