Lehigh University Athletics
Sunday, October 7
Lewisburg, PA
2 p.m.
Lehigh University
16-2 (5-1PL)
3
at
1
Bucknell
6-11 (1-5PL)
1st set1
2nd set2
3rd set3
4th set4
FinalF
Lehigh
23
25
25
25
3
Bucknell
25
21
15
20
1
Photo by: Josh Liddick
Mountain Hawks top Bucknell to improve to 16-2 overall
10/7/2018 5:40:00 PM | Volleyball
LEWISBURG, Pa. — The Lehigh Mountain Hawks clawed their way back from a first set deficit and took down Bucknell in four sets, 23-25, 25-21, 25-15, 25-20. With the victory, the Mountain Hawks improved to 16-2 overall, 5-1 in the Patriot League.
The first set was a competitive one for both teams, especially on the offensive side of the ball. The Bison really got after the attack, hitting .565 in the first set, while Lehigh hit to a tune of .520 in the first. Despite Lehigh being on its toes hitting-wise to start the match, the Bison still came away with the set win.
From that set forward, the Mountain Hawks were in control. Through all four sets, Lehigh hit .324 as a team and had a ton of help from many different players to get the job done.
"I think Bucknell did a great job of containing our middles, so we had to adjust our offense a little bit," said head coach Alexa Keckler. "We were not tough from the service line which impacted our game, too many unforced errors.
"But ultimately, we did a great job coming back and rallying that third set for sure. We ran the table, controlled the tempo, and even being down 14-7 in the fourth set, we found a groove, we didn't let up, we just kept fighting. That seems to be our M.O., we don't go down easy."
Sophomore Sabrina Lancaster was back in her element on Sunday, finishing with 16 kills in 35 tries, and hit .371 for the match. Lancaster also finished with five digs and two blocks, leading the Mountain Hawks with 19 points for the afternoon.
Lehigh got great performances from both of its middle-blockers on Sunday, as juniors Lauren Bright and Emily Poole hit .294 and .286, respectively. Poole, the current Patriot League leader in blocks, finished with six total on Sunday, as Bright added three for herself.
Senior libero Emily Develle nearly tallied a double-double, tallying 17 digs and eight assists.
Patriot League Rookie of the Week Alina Lam continued to perform highly for Lehigh, registering her fifth straight double-double with 37 assists and 12 digs.
Perhaps the most impressive player out on the floor on Sunday, junior Julia Pressly was on top of her game, finishing with 13 kills in 25 attempts, hitting .480 for the match. Pressly didn't commit an error until the fourth set. She had gone 9-of-14 entering the fourth.
"Today I felt like I really did find myself, I was just finding my groove," said Pressly. "I really felt that I was finding my shots and execute the things that we've been working on in practice."
The Mountain Hawks' offense really came to life on the road on Sunday, but as Keckler talked about, the service errors were an area that wasn't as up to par as they would have liked it to be. In fact, Sunday's hitting performance against Bucknell at .324 was the third highest total of the season, and highest in almost a month. The Mountain Hawks' 16 service errors were tied for the most in any match this season (at Penn, Sept. 18).
"The first set, even though we lost, we hit .520 which was unreal as a team," said Keckler. "Our serving is not normally this off, so I think it was just one of those days and like I told the girls, sometimes we win from the service line, sometimes we win by playing harder defense, and sometimes we win from hitting.
"So when one thing's not working, we need to find our groove somewhere else and make up the difference there."
Now, the Mountain Hawks head back home to Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall to face the American Eagles, who have won five straight Patriot League Championships. Lehigh hasn't gotten the best of American since Nov. 5, 2016. Perhaps, with the team on a roll as of late, this might be the year the Mountain Hawks get it done.
"It's another match, another team we need to go prepare for," Keckler said. "We have to find weaknesses and we need to continue to improve upon our weaknesses and highlight our strengths so I'm excited to play them.
"We get them for the first time at home, so coming in, staying aggressive and staying positive, I think we'll give them a battle."
Like Lehigh Volleyball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
The first set was a competitive one for both teams, especially on the offensive side of the ball. The Bison really got after the attack, hitting .565 in the first set, while Lehigh hit to a tune of .520 in the first. Despite Lehigh being on its toes hitting-wise to start the match, the Bison still came away with the set win.
From that set forward, the Mountain Hawks were in control. Through all four sets, Lehigh hit .324 as a team and had a ton of help from many different players to get the job done.
"I think Bucknell did a great job of containing our middles, so we had to adjust our offense a little bit," said head coach Alexa Keckler. "We were not tough from the service line which impacted our game, too many unforced errors.
"But ultimately, we did a great job coming back and rallying that third set for sure. We ran the table, controlled the tempo, and even being down 14-7 in the fourth set, we found a groove, we didn't let up, we just kept fighting. That seems to be our M.O., we don't go down easy."
Sophomore Sabrina Lancaster was back in her element on Sunday, finishing with 16 kills in 35 tries, and hit .371 for the match. Lancaster also finished with five digs and two blocks, leading the Mountain Hawks with 19 points for the afternoon.
Lehigh got great performances from both of its middle-blockers on Sunday, as juniors Lauren Bright and Emily Poole hit .294 and .286, respectively. Poole, the current Patriot League leader in blocks, finished with six total on Sunday, as Bright added three for herself.
Senior libero Emily Develle nearly tallied a double-double, tallying 17 digs and eight assists.
Patriot League Rookie of the Week Alina Lam continued to perform highly for Lehigh, registering her fifth straight double-double with 37 assists and 12 digs.
Perhaps the most impressive player out on the floor on Sunday, junior Julia Pressly was on top of her game, finishing with 13 kills in 25 attempts, hitting .480 for the match. Pressly didn't commit an error until the fourth set. She had gone 9-of-14 entering the fourth.
"Today I felt like I really did find myself, I was just finding my groove," said Pressly. "I really felt that I was finding my shots and execute the things that we've been working on in practice."
The Mountain Hawks' offense really came to life on the road on Sunday, but as Keckler talked about, the service errors were an area that wasn't as up to par as they would have liked it to be. In fact, Sunday's hitting performance against Bucknell at .324 was the third highest total of the season, and highest in almost a month. The Mountain Hawks' 16 service errors were tied for the most in any match this season (at Penn, Sept. 18).
"The first set, even though we lost, we hit .520 which was unreal as a team," said Keckler. "Our serving is not normally this off, so I think it was just one of those days and like I told the girls, sometimes we win from the service line, sometimes we win by playing harder defense, and sometimes we win from hitting.
"So when one thing's not working, we need to find our groove somewhere else and make up the difference there."
Now, the Mountain Hawks head back home to Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall to face the American Eagles, who have won five straight Patriot League Championships. Lehigh hasn't gotten the best of American since Nov. 5, 2016. Perhaps, with the team on a roll as of late, this might be the year the Mountain Hawks get it done.
"It's another match, another team we need to go prepare for," Keckler said. "We have to find weaknesses and we need to continue to improve upon our weaknesses and highlight our strengths so I'm excited to play them.
"We get them for the first time at home, so coming in, staying aggressive and staying positive, I think we'll give them a battle."
Like Lehigh Volleyball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
Team Stats
LEHIGH
BUCKNELL
Kills
59
44
Errors
14
21
Attempts
139
130
Hitting %
.324
.177
Points
76.0
52.0
Assists
58
41
Aces
6
4
Blocks
11.0
4.0
Game Leaders
Kills
16
Aces
2
Blocks
2
Kills
13
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
11
Aces
1
Blocks
5
Kills
6
Aces
1
Blocks
3
Players Mentioned
MB
/ Volleyball
L
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
MB
/ VolleyballOH
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