Lehigh University Athletics
Saturday, November 13
Bethlehem, Pa.
4 p.m.
Lehigh University
8-19,4-12Patriot
3
vs
0
Holy Cross
2-25,1-15Patriot
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holy Cross | 23 | 21 | 15 | 0 |
| Lehigh | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
Photo by: Hannahally Photography
Lehigh concludes 2021 campaign with sweep of Holy Cross
11/13/2021 6:39:00 PM | Volleyball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Lehigh volleyball team fired on all cylinders on Saturday afternoon, taking down Holy Cross in straight sets (25-23, 25-21, 25-15) in the final match of the regular season at Grace Hall. The Mountain Hawks (8-19, 4-12 PL) snap a three-match losing streak with the win and end the season on a high note heading into the offseason.
It was another tremendous effort by the senior class on the afternoon, guided by senior Ava Hudson's 11 kills and five digs along with 10 kills and nine digs for fifth year senior Sabrina Lancaster. Lancaster hit .318 in her final collegiate match.
"It was great to see the seniors go out there and play with so much confidence and excitement," said head coach Alexa Keckler. "I think we had some great contributions from our entire team tonight. Very few teams end the season with a win and obviously, we'd love to still be playing, things didn't go our way this year, but I'm happy our girls were able to experience a high note on their way out."
The first set was back-and-forth for the most part between Lehigh and Holy Cross as the latter took a 15-14 lead into the media timeout. The Crusaders won three straight points to lead 17-15, but the Mountain Hawks answered back with three to take an 18-17 advantage. Trailing 22-20, Lehigh won five of the last six to come away with a 25-23 victory, capped off by a kill for Hannah Wright and combined block by Wright and Emily Stewart.
Lehigh opened the second set on an 8-4 push and were able to go on a 9-4 run to extend the lead to 17-8 following five straight for the Mountain Hawks. Lehigh went up 21-12 following Hudson's kill, but the Crusaders stayed along for the ride, battling all the way back to a two-point set before consecutive kills for Megan Schulte and Lancaster gave Lehigh the 25-21 victory and commanding 2-0 lead in the match.
It was all Mountain Hawks to begin the third set as the team went on a 12-2 run right out of the gates including five straight points, thanks to three Holy Cross attack errors and a kill each for Makena Smith and Hudson.
The Crusaders tried to get back into a rhythm, cutting the gap to as little as eight points, but the Mountain Hawks kept the foot on the gas, extending the lead to 10 and holding on for the 25-15 victory, sealing the sweep in the season finale.
"I think we stepped up our game from a blocking standpoint today," Keckler said. "They started to out-tool us and did that the last time we played them. I thought we made some good adjustments there. Attacking-wise they're (Holy Cross) a really scappy team, they touch a lot of stuff and dig a lot of balls out. Our job going in was to keep moving the ball around and swing in different spots until we found a way to score.
"Once we exploited some areas, we just kept going back until they picked it up. So our girls were awesome. Ava Hudson had an amazing night. Of all of our kills, she maybe swung for a fourth of her kills, everything else was just placement. She did a great job of visually seeing the court and finding places to score."
Hudson's 11 kills were a match high, followed by Lancaster's 10 and Hannah Wright's eight. Freshman setter Makena Smith finished with 25 assists and five digs, while freshman libero Kyleigh Brown posted a team-high 16 digs. Lehigh out-blocked Holy Cross, 7-4 led by four block assists for Wright, three each for Stewart and Sophia Meagher and one each for Smith and Hudson. In addition to her stellar defensive outing, Brown also totaled three of Lehigh's five service aces.
"Sabrina brings so many amazing attributes to our team," said Keckler. "From confidence, to work ethic, to having an all-out passion for Lehigh and our volleyball program, which is unprecedented. Next year will be my first year at Lehigh without her so she's going to be difficult to replace."
The Mountain Hawks hit .243 for the match with 43 kills and 16 errors, hitting .265 in the second and .324 in the third with 14 kills and only three errors. Lehigh held Holy Cross to just .131 for the match with 14 errors.
For the Crusaders, Abbie Lane led the way with seven kills, while Gracyn Benck and Mia Hofacker each added six. Halle Carter registered 22 assists, while Skye Daval-Santos recorded 16 digs with Carter adding 11 and Lane 10.
Like Lehigh Volleyball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
It was another tremendous effort by the senior class on the afternoon, guided by senior Ava Hudson's 11 kills and five digs along with 10 kills and nine digs for fifth year senior Sabrina Lancaster. Lancaster hit .318 in her final collegiate match.
"It was great to see the seniors go out there and play with so much confidence and excitement," said head coach Alexa Keckler. "I think we had some great contributions from our entire team tonight. Very few teams end the season with a win and obviously, we'd love to still be playing, things didn't go our way this year, but I'm happy our girls were able to experience a high note on their way out."
The first set was back-and-forth for the most part between Lehigh and Holy Cross as the latter took a 15-14 lead into the media timeout. The Crusaders won three straight points to lead 17-15, but the Mountain Hawks answered back with three to take an 18-17 advantage. Trailing 22-20, Lehigh won five of the last six to come away with a 25-23 victory, capped off by a kill for Hannah Wright and combined block by Wright and Emily Stewart.
Lehigh opened the second set on an 8-4 push and were able to go on a 9-4 run to extend the lead to 17-8 following five straight for the Mountain Hawks. Lehigh went up 21-12 following Hudson's kill, but the Crusaders stayed along for the ride, battling all the way back to a two-point set before consecutive kills for Megan Schulte and Lancaster gave Lehigh the 25-21 victory and commanding 2-0 lead in the match.
It was all Mountain Hawks to begin the third set as the team went on a 12-2 run right out of the gates including five straight points, thanks to three Holy Cross attack errors and a kill each for Makena Smith and Hudson.
The Crusaders tried to get back into a rhythm, cutting the gap to as little as eight points, but the Mountain Hawks kept the foot on the gas, extending the lead to 10 and holding on for the 25-15 victory, sealing the sweep in the season finale.
"I think we stepped up our game from a blocking standpoint today," Keckler said. "They started to out-tool us and did that the last time we played them. I thought we made some good adjustments there. Attacking-wise they're (Holy Cross) a really scappy team, they touch a lot of stuff and dig a lot of balls out. Our job going in was to keep moving the ball around and swing in different spots until we found a way to score.
"Once we exploited some areas, we just kept going back until they picked it up. So our girls were awesome. Ava Hudson had an amazing night. Of all of our kills, she maybe swung for a fourth of her kills, everything else was just placement. She did a great job of visually seeing the court and finding places to score."
Hudson's 11 kills were a match high, followed by Lancaster's 10 and Hannah Wright's eight. Freshman setter Makena Smith finished with 25 assists and five digs, while freshman libero Kyleigh Brown posted a team-high 16 digs. Lehigh out-blocked Holy Cross, 7-4 led by four block assists for Wright, three each for Stewart and Sophia Meagher and one each for Smith and Hudson. In addition to her stellar defensive outing, Brown also totaled three of Lehigh's five service aces.
"Sabrina brings so many amazing attributes to our team," said Keckler. "From confidence, to work ethic, to having an all-out passion for Lehigh and our volleyball program, which is unprecedented. Next year will be my first year at Lehigh without her so she's going to be difficult to replace."
The Mountain Hawks hit .243 for the match with 43 kills and 16 errors, hitting .265 in the second and .324 in the third with 14 kills and only three errors. Lehigh held Holy Cross to just .131 for the match with 14 errors.
For the Crusaders, Abbie Lane led the way with seven kills, while Gracyn Benck and Mia Hofacker each added six. Halle Carter registered 22 assists, while Skye Daval-Santos recorded 16 digs with Carter adding 11 and Lane 10.
Like Lehigh Volleyball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
Sabrina Lancaster's Lehigh career was nothing short of brilliant.
— Lehigh Volleyball (@LehighVBall) November 13, 2021
The fifth-year senior offers her thoughts after her final collegiate match. 🗣#GoLehigh | #DoRight pic.twitter.com/f2DONqMzXT
Lehigh swept Holy Cross in the Mountain Hawks' final match of the 2021 season.
— Lehigh Volleyball (@LehighVBall) November 13, 2021
Head coach Alexa Keckler spoke to @LehighSports following the three-set victory! 🗣#GoLehigh | #DoRight pic.twitter.com/M11KsnVJZr
Team Stats
HolyCr
Lehigh
Kills
27
43
Errors
14
16
Attempts
99
111
Hitting %
.131
.243
Points
33
55
Assists
24
40
Aces
2
5
Blocks
4
7
Game Leaders
Kills
11
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
10
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Kills
7
Aces
1
Blocks
4
Players Mentioned
L/DS
/ VolleyballOH
/ VolleyballOH
/ Volleyball
MB/OH
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
S
/ VolleyballMB
/ VolleyballRS/OH
/ VolleyballVolleyball vs. Holy Cross
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