Friday, October 14
7 p.m.
Lehigh University
10-11, 5-2PL
3
vs
0
Holy Cross
5-15, 1-6PL
1
2
3
F
Holy Cross
22
21
21
0
Lehigh
25
25
25
3
Mountain Hawks Soar Past Holy Cross in Three Sets
10/14/2016 9:47:00 PM | Volleyball
BETHLEHEM, Pa – The Lehigh volleyball collected its third 3-0 sweep over a Patriot League opponent this season with tonight's home victory over Holy Cross. The Mountain Hawks are now 5-2 in the Patriot League and 10-11 overall, while Holy Cross falls to 1-6 in the PL and 5-15 overall.
"In the beginning, the chemistry was not quite there due to the fact that we had some changes in the lineup, but the players battled and we muscled through it," said head coach Bob Bertucci. "By the end of the match our chemistry was much better and we were more fluid. We had really good performances from players like Katie Jennison, Emily Poole and Lauren Bright who had to take on new and expanded roles tonight."
Both Jennison and Bright led Lehigh on the night as they each had 11 kills and Julie Pressly chipped in with 10. Bright also led with four total blocks on the night.
Megan Polak posted a match-high 31 assists, in addition to joining Hannah Chalk and Emily Develle for the team lead in digs with seven.
The Mountain Hawks began the first set on a 4-0 run, which included three consecutive kills, two from Pressly. Lehigh maintained at least a two-point lead for the rest of the set. The Crusaders pulled within two on multiple occasions, including 18-16, 20-18 and eventually 24-22, but a kill from Ana Spangenberg gave Lehigh a 25-22 first-set victory.
Lehigh jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the second set, extending its lead to 7-3 before the Crusaders rallied with five of the next six points to even the score at eight. The Mountain Hawks broke a 9-9 tie with four straight points, but Holy Cross again had an answer. The Crusaders pulled even at 15, 16, 17, 18 and 19, but Lehigh responded with a big 4-0 run, beginning with a kill from Pressly followed by three straight attack errors. Kills from Polak and Spangenberg wrapped up the 25-21 set victory.
A back-and-forth third set saw neither team lead by more than two until the Mountain Hawks used a 4-0 run to turn a 10-9 lead into a 14-9 advantage. The run began with kills from Bright and Poole, ending with a Holy Cross attack error and a bad set. Lehigh built its lead, eventually reaching eight as another 4-0 run made the score 22-14 following a Bonaire Berry service ace. The Crusaders responded with six straight points to pull within 22-20, but Lehigh ended the match with three of the final four points as a Jennison kill gave the Mountain Hawks a 25-21 third-set win and 3-0 match victory.
Lehigh has now won 17-straight matches against the Crusaders, a win streak that dates back to 2007. Holy Cross is also winless at Leeman-Turner Arena since 2006.
The Mountain Hawks will back in action on Saturday when the host Army West Point at 4 p.m.
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Team Stats
HC
LEHIGH
Kills
31
47
Errors
18
12
Attempts
96
104
Hitting %
.135
.337
Points
39.0
57.0
Assists
27
43
Aces
4
4
Blocks
4.0
6.0
Game Leaders
Kills
11
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Kills
11
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
10
Aces
1
Blocks
2
Kills
4
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Players Mentioned
S
/ VolleyballMB
/ Volleyball
L/DS
/ Volleyball
L
/ VolleyballMB
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MB
/ VolleyballRS
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