Tuesday, October 11
7 p.m.
Lehigh University
9-11
3
vs
2
George Washington
6-14
1
2
3
4
5
F
George Washington
25
25
16
20
12
2
Lehigh
21
22
25
25
15
3
Lehigh Claims 3-2 Comeback Victory Over George Washington
10/11/2016 11:23:00 PM | Volleyball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – After falling behind two sets to none, the Lehigh volleyball team rallied back and won the final three sets to pull off the 3-2 comeback victory at home over George Washington on Tuesday night. The Mountain Hawks improve to 9-11 on the season as the Colonials fall to 6-14 and extend their losing streak to 10-straight matches.
"I was really excited about how the team responded coming out of the break in the third set and I was very happy with the way they were able to continue to fight and battle in the fourth and fifth sets," said head coach Bob Bertucci. "It was a collective effort tonight. The support of the players on the bench was outstanding and when players came into the game they did what they were asked to do. Everyone who got on the court tonight did their job and as a coach you could not be happier with the effort."
Freshman Jessica Donaldson finished with a match-high 20 kills on a .256 hitting percentage and added nine digs. Fellow freshman Lauren Bright also had a stellar night as she totaled 12 kills on a .455 hitting percentage and finished with a match-high four solo blocks.
Freshman Julia Pressly and junior Kelly Bennett also reached double-figures in kills as Pressly totaled 12 and Bennett recorded 10 to go with a stellar .600 hitting percentage.
Sophomore setter Megan Polak dished out a career-high 59 assists on the night as she has now eclipsed 50 assists for the second time this season.
The first two sets played out rather evenly on the scoreboard with George Washington finding ways to make enough plays to hold the advantage. The Mountain Hawks were within striking distance late in both of the first two sets, but the hot-hitting Colonials managed to keep Lehigh at a safe enough distance. GW as a team hit .230 and .370 for the first two sets, while LU recorded hitting percentages of .067 and .231.
Polak recorded back-to-back service aces to start the third set, which started a 7-1 run for Lehigh and forced George Washington to take a timeout. The stoppage didn't have an effect as Lehigh continued to pile on and opened up a 16-3 lead before GW needed to stop play again. Donaldson led the team with four kills to that point in the set.
George Washington would attempt to climb back and trailed 19-10 before Lehigh decided to take a timeout. Out of the break, LU found a steadier scoring pace and used its large lead as a buffer to hold off GW down the stretch and claim the 25-16 victory. Lehigh posted a .344 hitting percentage as a team in the second set as GW hit .222 in the set.
The Mountain Hawks found themselves in another dogfight in the fourth set, but eventually prevailed late. Pressly scored a kill which put Lehigh ahead 20-18 and started a 4-0 run with points by Mariah Brantley and Emily Poole. A kill by Bennett eventually sealed the set victory for LU at 25-20.
With the match on the line, Lehigh fell into a 4-1 hole to start the pivotal fifth set. The Mountain Hawks battled back and kept the deficit to a minimum as the set rolled on. All of a sudden, consecutive kills by Donaldson and Bennett, combined with a service ace by Stephanie Stieber put Lehigh ahead, 12-11, for its first lead of the set. Following the GW timeout, Lehigh out-scored the Colonials 3-1 to clinch the 15-12 victory and the match. Donaldson recorded all three of Lehigh's points down the stretch with two kills and the match-winning service ace.
Lehigh hit .421 in the fifth set, while George Washington hit .214. For the match, both teams recorded hitting percentages of .237. LU is now 6-0 in matches this season with a team hitting percentage of .200 or better.
The Mountain Hawks continue the second and third legs of their three-match home stand this weekend with two Patriot League matches. LU will face Holly Cross on Friday at 7 p.m. before squaring off against Army West Point on Saturday at 4 p.m.
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Team Stats
GW
LEHIGH
Kills
52
67
Errors
20
29
Attempts
135
160
Hitting %
.237
.238
Points
70.0
86.0
Assists
47
65
Aces
3
12
Blocks
15.0
7.0
Game Leaders
Kills
20
Aces
2
Blocks
1
Kills
12
Aces
0
Blocks
5
Kills
12
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
10
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Players Mentioned
MB
/ Volleyball
L
/ VolleyballMB
/ VolleyballOH
/ Volleyball
S
/ Volleyball
MB
/ VolleyballOH
/ Volleyball
S
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