Friday, September 19
7 p.m.
Lehigh University
7-7, 2-0PL
3
vs
0
Holy Cross
2-9, 1-1PL
1
2
3
F
Holy Cross
14
14
24
0
Lehigh
25
25
26
3
Lehigh cruises to straight-set win over Holy Cross
9/19/2014 9:27:00 PM | Volleyball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – A pair of 25-14 set wins followed by a tight 26-24 set three victory helped the Lehigh volleyball team capture a 3-0 win over Holy Cross Friday night inside Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall. It marks Lehigh's 13th straight win over the Crusaders and third-consecutive straight-set victory. The Mountain Hawks improve to 7-7 overall and 2-0 in Patriot League play for the first time since 2009, while Holy Cross falls to 1-1 in league play and 2-9 overall.
"The girls played really well tonight," said head coach Bob Bertucci. "We came out strong in the first and second sets and kind of got disturbed a bit in the third set, but eventually found our rhythm again. I give a lot of credit to Holy Cross because they played one of the best defensive games I've ever seen."
Senior Jade Van Streepen and sophomore Morgan Lowe led the Mountain Hawks with seven kills apiece, followed by junior Stephanie Slater with five. Sophomore Taylor Carroll was one of three Mountain Hawks to tally four kills, but also contributed four blocks and four digs. Junior Amy Matula tallied a team-best 28 assists while sophomore Mariah Brantley posted 19 digs. Lehigh tallied a .163 attacking percentage while limiting Holy Cross to .009.
"The best performance came from Taylor Carroll tonight," said head coach Bob Bertucci. "I though she just played stunningly all match long. Katie Jennison did a great job coming in for us and kind of changed up what we were doing and scored a few points."
The opening set started out in a 2-2 tie before Lehigh took advantage of several Holy Cross errors and erupted on a 10-2 run to grab a 12-4 advantage. A kill from sophomore Kianna Carroll worked Lehigh's lead to ten at 19-9. The deficit proved to be too much for the Crusaders as a Holy Cross service error sealed the 25-14 set one Mountain Hawk victory.
The second set was much of the same as Lehigh got out to a quick 10-4 lead with the help of kills from four different Mountain Hawks. Holy Cross pulled within three at 10-7, but a kill from Lowe capped off a 9-2 Lehigh run as the Mountain Hawks extended their lead to ten at 19-9. Once again, Holy Cross couldn't overcome the deficit as another Crusader service error gave Lehigh a 25-14 set two victory and 2-0 match lead. The Mountain Hawks hit a match-best .237 in the second set.
The third set was much closer and began in an 11-11 tie. A Brantley service ace sparked a 7-2 Mountain Hawk run as Lehigh surged ahead 18-13. Holy Cross wouldn't go down quietly as the Crusaders answered with a 5-0 run to knot the score at 18. After being tied again at 21, a Lehigh attack error and kill by Holy Cross' Alicia Swearingen put the Crusaders ahead 23-21. A Jennison kill and Holy Cross service error helped the Mountain Hawks pull even at 23. Another Swearingen spike set up match point for the Crusaders, but it was followed by a service error before a Jennison ace and Crusader attacking error eventually gave Lehigh the 26-24 set three win and 3-0 match victory.
Lehigh returns to action Saturday in Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall when the Mountain Hawks host Army at 4 p.m.
Like Lehigh volleyball on Facebook and follow on Twitter for exclusive updates and team content.
Team Stats
HC
LEHIGH
Kills
23
39
Errors
22
19
Attempts
114
123
Hitting %
.009
.163
Points
35.0
49.0
Assists
20
36
Aces
3
4
Blocks
9.0
6.0
Game Leaders
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
5
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
4
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Volleyball vs. Holy Cross
Saturday, November 08
VB vs. Loyola
Friday, October 10
Volleyball vs. American
Saturday, October 04
Mountain Hawk Talk - S2 EP2 - Volleyball
Friday, September 26
