Lehigh University Athletics
Lehigh rekindles rivalry with Lafayette Thursday
10/5/2010 9:28:00 PM | Volleyball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Lehigh volleyball team will open a new chapter in the storied Lehigh-Lafayette rivalry on Thursday when the Mountain Hawks travel to Easton to take on the Leopards at 7:30 p.m. The regional foes have faced off 72 times since 1974 and Lehigh holds a 43-29 overall advantage in those matches.
"What began as a football rivalry has certainly spread to other sports," Lehigh head coach Jenny Maurer said. "But our goals are bigger than any one team. We are less concerned about the rivalry and are more focused on the big picture."
Lehigh owns a 7-9 record in 2010, including a 1-3 mark in Patriot League play. The Mountain Hawks opened the league slate with a split against Army and Holy Cross, but fell in two home matches last week against Colgate and Bucknell. The Brown and White are no strangers to playing on the road this season as 12 of their 16 matches have been away from Leeman-Turner Arena. Lehigh has posted a 6-6 record in road/neutral contests thus far.
Junior Angelika Kopacz (187 kills), freshman Courtney McCutchan (142 kills) and sophomore Taylor Poole (134 kills) lead the Lehigh offense, with junior Jessica Kudirka (346 assists) and freshman Dana Raber (203 assists) providing the setting. Freshman Rachel Charles leads the team in digs with 257 and service aces with 22. Poole also paces the squad with 53 blocks and a .279 hitting percentage. As a team, Lehigh tops the Patriot League in digs per set, averaging a 16.46 clip. The Leopards enter Thursday's match with a 4-13 record and an 0-4 league mark, having played the same four league opponents as Lehigh thus far. All four of Lafayette's wins have come at home this year as the team has defeated Fairleigh Dickinson, St. Peter's, Coppin State and La Salle.
Kayly Elmer leads Lafayette with 201 kills and Sarah Frohnapfel owns a team-best 274 assists. Christy Mebust has served up 23 aces, while Mackenzie Larsen has posted 223 digs. As a team, the Leopards average 1.80 aces per set, good for the second-highest mark in the Patriot League.
Lehigh has won three of the last five meetings against Lafayette and has earned a season split with the Leopards in three straight seasons. Last year, the Mountain Hawks knocked off Lafayette on the road, but fell to their rival at home.
Four matches into the league schedule, Lehigh and Lafayette currently occupy spots six and seven in the standings, respectively. American stands as the lone unbeaten team in the Patriot League at 4-0, while Army, Colgate and Bucknell are tied for second at 3-1. Holy Cross sits at 2-2 and in fifth place, while Navy (0-4) stands eighth. The top four teams in the league advance to the Patriot League Tournament on Saturday, November 20.
"We certainly didn't put ourselves in a great position in the standings after last weekend," Maurer admitted. "So in order to creep closer to the top, we need to take it one match at a time."
Thursday's match against Lafayette will open a three-match road trip for Lehigh that will also take the team to Navy on October 15 and American on October 16.
Volleyball vs. Holy Cross
Saturday, November 08
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Friday, October 10
Volleyball vs. American
Saturday, October 04
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