Friday, August 31
Bethlehem, Pa.
4 p.m.
Lehigh University
3-0
3
vs
2
Rutgers
1-4
1
2
3
4
5
F
Rutgers
21
15
25
25
6
2
Lehigh
25
25
21
17
15
3
Lehigh wins two on first day of Crosstown Invitational
8/31/2018 9:57:00 PM | Volleyball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Lehigh volleyball took Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall by storm on Friday evening, beginning the Crosstown Invitational on an extremely high note. With two home victories, Lehigh improves to 4-0 to open the 2018 campaign.
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In the first matchup of Friday's doubleheader, the Mountain Hawks got out to an early 2-0 lead with the Big Ten's Rutgers before tough third and fourth sets. The Scarlet Knights (1-4) took the third set 25-21 and then got ahead and won the fourth set 25-17.
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Lehigh needed all the momentum they could get heading into the fifth and final set in order to replicate that same success from the first two sets. The Mountain Hawks got all of that and more.
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"I think after the first two sets we were kinda getting into a groove and feeling pretty good," said head coach Alexa Keckler. "They (Rutgers) pushed back and were battling obviously in the third and fourth sets so I'm really proud of how the girls came together in that fifth set. Just to come out the way that they came out and the excitement and the energy from the bench, it was just a really awesome feeling to see that happen, but I also think it showed a lot about our character, our drive, and our relentlessness, which are things we've been focusing on in our practices."
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Sophomore Sabrina Lancaster paced the Mountain Hawks with 13 kills. Junior Ana Spangenberg had 17 digs and Senior Megan Polak finished with 44 assists for Lehigh.
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Junior Emily Poole led Lehigh with a .538 hitting percentage, executing eight kills on 13 attempts. Poole also had a hand in four blocks.
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The Mountain Hawks hit .216 as a team with 56 kills and four service aces.
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The last time the Mountain Hawks defeated the Scarlet Knights in volleyball,was November 2, 1993.
(8/31/2018) Volleyball vs. Rutgers and Rider 8/31/18
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There may have only been an hour break between the first and second matches, but Lehigh sure didn't play like it was on short rest.
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The Mountain Hawks took the first set against the Rider Broncs easily 25-14. Lehigh had six blocks in the first set.
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From that key fifth set against Rutgers in the first match, the Mountain Hawks really carried the momentum over to their first set victory over Rider (0-1).
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"I think we had to take that focus in between those matches to kind of bring it with us to the next match," said Keckler. "We had to figure out what we need to do to offset their strengths, what we need to do to protect our court, and they did a really nice job of coming out. We went pretty deep in the bench to try to get some kids some playing time, to see what they're capable of."
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The Mountain Hawks came up strong after that dominant first set and had the same kind of success in the second set, despite the hungry Broncs staying close throughout. Lehigh ended up taking the second set 25-23 and getting out to a commanding 2-0 lead. With a variety of talent getting playing time in the third and final set of the night, the Mountain Hawks swept the match with a 25-15 set win.
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"Overall, it was really awesome to see that our middles were on fire, having a freshman setter come out (Alina Lam), she did an awesome job of just stepping right in and I think that was a great match for us to even end on the evening like that, the third set was just phenomenal and we played lights out."
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Lehigh's veteran leadership in Juniors Lauren Bright and Julia Pressly played a big part in the Mountain Hawk's win over Rider. Bright finished with 14 kills and a match-high .684 hitting percentage. Pressly registered nine kills, four digs, and an assist.
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As a team, Lehigh hit .286 as a team with 42 kills, 39 assists, 11 blocks, and 39 digs.
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The Mountain Hawks conclude the Crosstown Invitational with Saturday matches against Manhattan (10 a.m.) and Coppin State (4 p.m.). Both Lehigh matches will be broadcast on the Patriot League Network.
Like Lehigh Volleyball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
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In the first matchup of Friday's doubleheader, the Mountain Hawks got out to an early 2-0 lead with the Big Ten's Rutgers before tough third and fourth sets. The Scarlet Knights (1-4) took the third set 25-21 and then got ahead and won the fourth set 25-17.
Â
Lehigh needed all the momentum they could get heading into the fifth and final set in order to replicate that same success from the first two sets. The Mountain Hawks got all of that and more.
Â
"I think after the first two sets we were kinda getting into a groove and feeling pretty good," said head coach Alexa Keckler. "They (Rutgers) pushed back and were battling obviously in the third and fourth sets so I'm really proud of how the girls came together in that fifth set. Just to come out the way that they came out and the excitement and the energy from the bench, it was just a really awesome feeling to see that happen, but I also think it showed a lot about our character, our drive, and our relentlessness, which are things we've been focusing on in our practices."
Â
Sophomore Sabrina Lancaster paced the Mountain Hawks with 13 kills. Junior Ana Spangenberg had 17 digs and Senior Megan Polak finished with 44 assists for Lehigh.
Â
Junior Emily Poole led Lehigh with a .538 hitting percentage, executing eight kills on 13 attempts. Poole also had a hand in four blocks.
Â
The Mountain Hawks hit .216 as a team with 56 kills and four service aces.
Â
The last time the Mountain Hawks defeated the Scarlet Knights in volleyball,was November 2, 1993.
Â
There may have only been an hour break between the first and second matches, but Lehigh sure didn't play like it was on short rest.
Â
The Mountain Hawks took the first set against the Rider Broncs easily 25-14. Lehigh had six blocks in the first set.
Â
From that key fifth set against Rutgers in the first match, the Mountain Hawks really carried the momentum over to their first set victory over Rider (0-1).
Â
"I think we had to take that focus in between those matches to kind of bring it with us to the next match," said Keckler. "We had to figure out what we need to do to offset their strengths, what we need to do to protect our court, and they did a really nice job of coming out. We went pretty deep in the bench to try to get some kids some playing time, to see what they're capable of."
Â
The Mountain Hawks came up strong after that dominant first set and had the same kind of success in the second set, despite the hungry Broncs staying close throughout. Lehigh ended up taking the second set 25-23 and getting out to a commanding 2-0 lead. With a variety of talent getting playing time in the third and final set of the night, the Mountain Hawks swept the match with a 25-15 set win.
Â
"Overall, it was really awesome to see that our middles were on fire, having a freshman setter come out (Alina Lam), she did an awesome job of just stepping right in and I think that was a great match for us to even end on the evening like that, the third set was just phenomenal and we played lights out."
Â
Lehigh's veteran leadership in Juniors Lauren Bright and Julia Pressly played a big part in the Mountain Hawk's win over Rider. Bright finished with 14 kills and a match-high .684 hitting percentage. Pressly registered nine kills, four digs, and an assist.
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As a team, Lehigh hit .286 as a team with 42 kills, 39 assists, 11 blocks, and 39 digs.
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The Mountain Hawks conclude the Crosstown Invitational with Saturday matches against Manhattan (10 a.m.) and Coppin State (4 p.m.). Both Lehigh matches will be broadcast on the Patriot League Network.
Like Lehigh Volleyball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
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Team Stats
RUTGERS
LEHIGH
Kills
45
56
Errors
25
24
Attempts
144
148
Hitting %
.139
.216
Points
63.0
67.0
Assists
43
54
Aces
4
4
Blocks
14.0
7.0
Game Leaders
Kills
13
Aces
1
Blocks
0
Kills
12
Aces
2
Blocks
0
Kills
11
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Players Mentioned
MB
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
S
/ VolleyballMB
/ VolleyballOH
/ VolleyballRS
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