Lehigh earns 3-0 sweep of Loyola

BETHLEHEM, Pa. - The Lehigh volleyball team set the tone early by going up 7-0 in the opening game, on its way to a 3-0 win over Loyola on Friday evening (25-22, 25-11, 25-17) inside Leeman-Turner Arena. Freshman Julia Pressly led the Mountain Hawks with 12 kills, hitting .480 for the match, while Kelly Bennett hit .556, along with four blocks.

"I thought it was a really solid effort, but the second game broke it apart," said Lehigh head coach Bob Bertucci. "Kelly Bennett was the catalyst. It wasn't just her attacking; she made four good blocks for us, which scored points and stopped the attack. We could play it off her hands and transition. It was just the attitude that she was playing with which really motivated the rest of the team."

Sophomore Megan Polak finished the evening with a team-high 29 assists while junior Stephanie Stieber posted a team-high 11 digs.

"Loyola was serving us really tough," said Bertucci. "They knew we're a good passing team and they didn't want us to stay in system, so they were serving us deep and forcing us to take two or three steps backwards to play the ball. It was really hard in the beginning then we started adjusting in the second game and we started playing really well at that point."

The Mountain Hawks began the evening on a 7-0 run to begin the first game. With Lehigh leading 10-3, Loyola responded with a 6-1 run as an attack error and bad set pulled the Greyhounds within 11-9. The Mountain Hawks responded with the next three points, extending their lead back to five, a margin which stood over the ensuing points. With Lehigh leading 23-17, Loyola pulled as close as 24-22, but a kill from freshman Ana Spangenberg wrapped up the 25-22 first-set victory.

Lehigh again came out with a vengeance in the second set, opening a 7-1 lead following a service ace from senior Mariah Brantley and Loyola attack error. The Mountain Hawks continued to roll from there, opening an eight-point lead at 12-4. The lead reached 10 for the first time at 16-6 following kills from senior Katie Jennison and sophomore Victoria Hemsath, and a Greyhounds' attack error. Lehigh's largest lead of the set came on a Pressly kill, which wrapped up the 25-11 second-set win.

A back-and-forth beginning of the third set was tied at one, two, three and four before the Mountain Hawks opened a 9-6 advantage following a Pressly kill. Leading 10-9, Lehigh earned five of the next six points to take a 16-10 advantage. Loyola wouldn't get any closer than four the rest of the way as consecutive kills from Bennett wrapped up the 25-17 third-set victory.

The Mountain Hawks will remain home on Saturday when they host Navy in a big Patriot League showdown. Gametime is set for 4 p.m. Lehigh is currently tied for third place in the league standings at 7-3 while the Midshipmen are just a half game behind at 6-3.

"Tomorrow's match, everybody knows how big it is," said Bertucci. "It could make the difference for either of us. If we come out with the right attitude and play like we played tonight, then we should be okay."

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Team Stats

Julia Pressly

Kelly Bennett

Katie Jennison

Victoria Hemsath

Players Mentioned

Kelly Bennett

Mariah Brantley

Victoria Hemsath

Katie Jennison

Megan Polak

Julia Pressly

Ana Spangenberg

Stephanie Stieber

Lehigh University Athletics

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