Lehigh University
Robert Morris
Lehigh earns victories over Robert Morris, Radford
8/28/2010 11:48:00 PM | Volleyball
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – The Lehigh volleyball team earned a pair of victories over Robert Morris and Radford on Saturday to wrap up the Courtyard by Marriott Invitational with a 3-1 record. Junior Angelika Kopacz paced the team with a double-double in both matches as the Mountain Hawks finished the tournament on a three-match winning streak.
"Angelika has really learned to take control of a game," Lehigh head coach Jenny Maurer said. "She has really done everything she is capable of this season with her leadership on and off the court."
Kopacz registered 17 kills and 19 digs against Robert Morris and then followed up with a 13-kill, 18-dig performance against Radford. Freshmen Courtney McCutchan and Dana Raber also added double-doubles in both matches.
In the first match of the day, the Mountain Hawks fell to Robert Morris in the opening set by a 25-23 margin. Lehigh responded with consecutive 25-19, 25-20 and 25-18 wins to defeat the Colonials by a 3-1 count. McCutchan posted 13 kills and 11 digs, while Raber tallied 24 assists and 13 digs.
The match against Radford took on a different complexion as the Mountain Hawks raced out to a two-set advantage with a pair of 25-22 victories. Radford responded, however, and won the next two sets, 25-23 and 25-14, to even the match at two sets apiece. Trailing by a 6-4 margin in the deciding fifth set, Lehigh rallied with an 11-4 run to close out the match with a 15-10 win.
"It's great to know that we can show so much character in one weekend," Maurer said. "Give credit to Radford, they fought hard. I was really proud of the way we recomposed ourselves, I think we really grew up a lot and learned a lot about ourselves. I think we know what we are capable of now."
Sophomore Taylor Poole led the Mountain Hawks with a .364 hitting percentage against Radford, putting away 10 kills and adding four block assists. McCutchan (11 kills, 12 digs) and Raber (16 assists, 13 digs) each added strong performances, while junior Jessica Kudirka chipped in with a season-high 33 assists.
The Mountain Hawks return to the court on Friday, September 3 in the Sacred Heart Invitational in Fairfield, Conn. Lehigh will face hosts Sacred Heart at 4 p.m. on the opening day of the tournament, before wrapping up the invitational against Jacksonville and Dartmouth the following afternoon.
