Army Hands Lehigh Tough Defeat in Four Sets

WEST POINT, N.Y. – The Lehigh volleyball team suffered a tough 3-1 loss on the road in a closely-contested four-set match at Army West Point on Friday night. The Black Knights edged out Lehigh in the first two sets by a combined total of five points before the Mountain Hawks earned a three-point victory in the third set. Army then broke open a comfortable lead midway through the fourth set and managed to ride that cushion to the finish to take the fourth set and the match.

For the second-consecutive match, freshman Ana Spangenberg led all players offensively as she once again posted 16 kills. Fellow freshman Lauren Bright had a stellar all-around performance as she led all players with a season-high 10 total blocks to go along with eight kills on a .389 hitting percentage.

The Mountain Hawks hit .245 as a team compared to Army's .230 hitting percentage. Lehigh also posted a 72-71 advantage in total points and dominated the net with a 17-5 advantage in total blocks.

The first two sets went neck-and-neck the whole way as both sides held the other in check. Lehigh held a 23-21 lead in the first set with a 4-0 run fueled by two kills by Julia Pressly. Then, three-straight errors by the Mountain Hawks put Army in position for match point and the Black Knights took advantage as Vanessa Wesley recorded the winning kill.

The Mountain Hawks found themselves in a 21-21 tie in the second set on a kill by Kelly Bennett who finished with six kills on the night. Army went up 23-21, but then a kill by Megan Polak cut the deficit to 23-22. The Black Knights then recorded two-straight kills to take the second set 25-22.

Lehigh hit an impressive .379 as a team in the third set, but only managed to edge out Army 25-22 to win the set. A Pressly kill put Lehigh ahead 21-20 and then LU took a 22-20 lead on an Army attack error. The two teams traded points as Lehigh led 23-22. The Mountain Hawks clinched the set victory on a block by Emily Poole, followed by a service ace by Spangenberg.

Army started the fourth set on a 6-2 run and then following a Lehigh timeout, extended the lead up to 10 points as the Black Knights took a 16-6 lead. Army would maintain its cushion with a 20-10 advantage. Lehigh would try to mount a comeback and actually out-scored Army 8-5 down the stretch, but the deficit proved to be too much for LU to overcome.

Both teams hit .250 in the final set as both only recorded four attack errors. Lehigh recorded 11 kills in the final set as Army posted 10.

The Mountain Hawks will hit the road again on Saturday with a trip to Holy Cross to close out the regular season. Opening serve from Worcester, Mass. is slated for 4 p.m.

Lehigh can remain in the hunt for a spot in the Patriot League Tournament with a win on Saturday. A loss by Lehigh on Saturday, combined with a Navy win will eliminate the Mountain Hawks from postseason contention. Lehigh can clinch a postseason spot with a win and a loss by Navy on Saturday, regardless of the outcome of the Navy-Loyola match on Sunday.

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Team Stats

Ana Spangenberg

Lauren Bright

Julia Pressly

Katie Jennison

Players Mentioned

Kelly Bennett

Lauren Bright

Megan Polak

Emily Poole

Julia Pressly

Ana Spangenberg

Lehigh University Athletics

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