Lehigh Falls to Top-Seeded American in Patriot League Semifinal

Saturday, November 18

Washington, D.C.

2 p.m.

Lehigh University

18-13, 9-7PL

American University

25-7, 15-1PL

Team	1	2	3	Final F
Lehigh	18	18	27	0
American	25	25	29	3

Lehigh Falls to Top-Seeded American in Patriot League Semifinal

11/18/2017 5:49:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The fourth-seeded Mountain Hawks had their season come to an end Saturday as they fell to top-seeded American, 3-0, in the Patriot League semifinal in Washington, D.C.

The Eagles (25-7, 15-1) compiled a strong hitting performance on the day, hitting .385 with a 46-11 kill-to-error ratio. Lehigh (18-13, 9-7) shook off a tough first set and rallied back to tie American in total kills in the final two sets with 34. The Mountain Hawks could not limit the errors as they finished with 24 and struggled to defend the net with just four total blocks on the day.

The duo of Ana Spangenberg and Sabrina Lancaster combined for 33 kills on the day, led by Spangenberg's 18, which tied Aleksandra Kazala for the match-high. Spangenberg also led Lehigh with a .351 hitting percentage on the day. She is also the ninth player in program history to finished a season with over 400 kills as she ended with 406 this year.

Lehigh fell victim to their own miscues in the first set with 11 attack errors, despite owning a 14-12 advantage in kills over American. The Eagles hit .417 in the first set and out-blocked Lehigh 4-0.

The Mountain Hawks were able to hang with the Eagles early in the second set, but American's efficiency prevailed down the stretch. The Eagles limited themselves to just two errors as they hit .480 in the set. Lehigh Lancaster and Kazala put on a show in the second set as the freshman out-dueled the league's Player of the Year, 10-9, in kills during the set.

Lehigh went on a five-point run to tie the set, 23-23, late in the third and then went ahead 25-24. With back-to-back kills by Julia Pressly and a kill by Lancaster. The teams traded points down the stretch as Lehigh tried to extend the match. The Eagles had match point two different times before back-to-back kills by Kennedy Etheridge and Helena Elbaek sealed the 29-27 victory and the match.