Lehigh University Athletics
Photo by: Josh Liddick
Season Preview: Lehigh's on the relentless pursuit to 'Do Right'
8/25/2021 4:48:00 PM | Volleyball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – It's a new era for the Lehigh volleyball program in 2021 following one of the most challenging overall seasons in history.
With the shortened spring season officially behind them that saw the Mountain Hawks win just three of nine matches, Lehigh is back on the court and looking to get back on track to competing for a Patriot League title, the first since 1997.
Lehigh missed out on the Patriot League Tournament last season after qualifying in 2019 with a quarterfinal round exit. In what is about to be Alexa Keckler's fourth season as head coach of the team, she feels the team is in a great position to succeed following a strong preseason showing.
"It's honestly been amazing just to be able to have a preseason, it's been two years and we missed that last year," said Keckler. "We missed the connectivity, the little things. We had to change how we taught last season. This preseason has been really awesome to break things down, to dive a little bit deeper into what we're asking."
The Mountain Hawks get one final year with two fifth year players that have made a significant impact within the program, as Sabrina Lancaster and Hannah Wright get back onto the court. A combined three All-Patriot League selections between the two, Lehigh's outside hitters have never been stronger.
"We're really excited to have our fifth years back with us," Keckler said. "They have so much experience going through this preseason process. The freshmen and sophomores haven't had that. It's been great having Sabrina and Hannah back from a leadership standpoint and establishing our culture and being a part of that."
Fitness is an important aspect of every team aspiring to compete for a championship and this Mountain Hawk roster came into the preseason as fit and as bought-in as can be ahead of a grueling hunt for Patriot League gold.
"It's been really awesome to have the freshman come be a part of our team this season," said Keckler. "They are extremely focused and bought in on getting better and applying what we're asking them.
"From a team standpoint, the energy and vibe are totally different. It's been exciting to see them rally around each other, to be able to laugh things off and to be able to encourage one another. Our girls came in ready to battle."
As mentioned earlier, Sabrina Lancaster and Hannah Wright remain two of the Mountain Hawks' top options at outside hitter. But there are other major players that hope to make a continued impact on the court for the upcoming year.
"First and foremost, I'm excited about our depth at that position," Keckler said. "I think this is the first time since I've been here that we've been this deep in each position to be able to make moves and fill rotations. Sabrina is bringing great maturity and experience. Lylah Washington is coming in ready to amp up her game after a promising freshman year. Hannah has played both outside and right side for us, so she has a lot to contribute. Ava Hudson has been battling and battling, which is what we want.
"Looking at our freshmen, Megan Schulte has a ton of power and big ceiling to grow into. And Gracie Kiser has been a joy to coach so far with a ton of potential. So, I think this season will be really cool to see how they all push and challenge each other. From that perspective alone in our gym, the level is raised because we've got stronger players to push them."
At the middles, the Mountain Hawks remain young with returning sophomores Sophia Meagher, Alina Smith and Sophie Robinson. Looking to make an early mark on a young team, freshman Emily Stewart comes to Lehigh for the first time. Traditionally, Lehigh has had some of the more talented middle blockers in the Patriot League and 2021 could be no different with the potential surrounding the group.
"We're very excited to have Emily in the gym," said Keckler. "She's raised everyone else to a new level. Sophia Meagher is extremely impressive right now. She came back a totally different player than she was last year. She's come back completely focused on the task at and is extremely coachable.
"We lost Alina very early on in the season last year due to injury. We've got to keep her healthy to start with, but she's made major, major strides in her game."
The Mountain Hawks have a deep class of setters, with returning seniors Alina Lam and Sarah Carman, as well as sophomore Sarah Burau. Freshman Makena Smith is eager to make her debut with the brown and white, as all four could make an impact throughout the season.
"We've got four setters that can go on the court at any point and run the offense," Keckler said. "Sarah Burau got experience from last season and is more confident in her game, more connected to players. When Makena figures out the pace of the game and figure out tactics, she's got all the tools to be an outstanding performer in the Patriot League. We're really excited about what she could become down the road."
It's been a while since the program has had a consistent libero/defensive specialist making starts at Grace Hall, and with this current roster, there are two names that will surely split time in 2021. After the graduation of Allison Garrett, sophomore Ally Thaw had an impressive first go-around in the Patriot League in the spring while local Bethlehem native Kyleigh Brown has all the skills to be a spectacular addition to the team.
"Oh, it's been awesome to coach these two so far," Keckler said. "We've got two liberos that are phenomenal. We've got two great passers and challenging each other every day. They are relentless on defense and have literally upped the level of play. They are allowing us to run our middles more often than in the past. The ball control in the gym is something that we have really pushed as a staff to improve upon, but also to recruit those kinds of players."
Lehigh opens the new season on Friday with a tournament at Virginia Tech, a program that went just 6-11 a year ago. Playing non-league play for the first time since 2019, the Mountain Hawks hope that this fall's schedule will prepare them nicely for tough Patriot League competition.
"I think any time we take a look at the non-league games, we want to be able to be challenged and to let us figure out where we are strong and where we're weak," Keckler said. "Our opponents all three weekends to open the season are going to do that. For me, the biggest takeaway is to figure out what's in those areas and what we can and can't do. It also shows us how we have to apply each week's practice to fix those things, but also to see who connects well with each other on the court.
"I'm excited to travel as much as the competition is. It's also a great opportunity for our girls to bond and have experiences that brings them together. We didn't have those opportunities in the spring, which are crucial to our team's development. All of those pieces will be vital in our preparation as we step on the court."
The Patriot League is tough, evident by the recent dominance of Colgate, a worthy defending champion in Army West Point and the traditional reign of American. But Lehigh knows what it needs to do in order to compete and contend with the best.
"I really do think there is a question mark on what to expect from the Patriot League this season," Keckler said. "We didn't even see half the teams in person last year. To even know what they felt or looked like last year, we're not even sure if they'll be the same this year. Will the fifth years in the league still be great performers or will others step up? I don't know what to expect other than I know every team that goes out and plays goes out to win.
"For us, the mindset is to go out and be better than we were the previous day. We want to do as much preparation and homework that we can, but that starts in our gym. The level of expectation in the gym needs to continue to rise so we're prepared to compete against those teams. We want to go out and battle in every single match and give ourselves a chance to win and the chance to be a Patriot League Championship contender. That's all I can really ask of our players."
Lehigh kicks off the 2021 season on Friday at noon against Virginia Tech. That match will be streamed live on ACC Network Extra through ESPN+. The Mountain Hawks also take on Elon at 5 p.m. on Friday followed by a matchup with Toledo on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Like Lehigh Volleyball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
With the shortened spring season officially behind them that saw the Mountain Hawks win just three of nine matches, Lehigh is back on the court and looking to get back on track to competing for a Patriot League title, the first since 1997.
Lehigh missed out on the Patriot League Tournament last season after qualifying in 2019 with a quarterfinal round exit. In what is about to be Alexa Keckler's fourth season as head coach of the team, she feels the team is in a great position to succeed following a strong preseason showing.
"It's honestly been amazing just to be able to have a preseason, it's been two years and we missed that last year," said Keckler. "We missed the connectivity, the little things. We had to change how we taught last season. This preseason has been really awesome to break things down, to dive a little bit deeper into what we're asking."
The Mountain Hawks get one final year with two fifth year players that have made a significant impact within the program, as Sabrina Lancaster and Hannah Wright get back onto the court. A combined three All-Patriot League selections between the two, Lehigh's outside hitters have never been stronger.
"We're really excited to have our fifth years back with us," Keckler said. "They have so much experience going through this preseason process. The freshmen and sophomores haven't had that. It's been great having Sabrina and Hannah back from a leadership standpoint and establishing our culture and being a part of that."
Fitness is an important aspect of every team aspiring to compete for a championship and this Mountain Hawk roster came into the preseason as fit and as bought-in as can be ahead of a grueling hunt for Patriot League gold.
"It's been really awesome to have the freshman come be a part of our team this season," said Keckler. "They are extremely focused and bought in on getting better and applying what we're asking them.
"From a team standpoint, the energy and vibe are totally different. It's been exciting to see them rally around each other, to be able to laugh things off and to be able to encourage one another. Our girls came in ready to battle."
As mentioned earlier, Sabrina Lancaster and Hannah Wright remain two of the Mountain Hawks' top options at outside hitter. But there are other major players that hope to make a continued impact on the court for the upcoming year.
"First and foremost, I'm excited about our depth at that position," Keckler said. "I think this is the first time since I've been here that we've been this deep in each position to be able to make moves and fill rotations. Sabrina is bringing great maturity and experience. Lylah Washington is coming in ready to amp up her game after a promising freshman year. Hannah has played both outside and right side for us, so she has a lot to contribute. Ava Hudson has been battling and battling, which is what we want.
"Looking at our freshmen, Megan Schulte has a ton of power and big ceiling to grow into. And Gracie Kiser has been a joy to coach so far with a ton of potential. So, I think this season will be really cool to see how they all push and challenge each other. From that perspective alone in our gym, the level is raised because we've got stronger players to push them."
At the middles, the Mountain Hawks remain young with returning sophomores Sophia Meagher, Alina Smith and Sophie Robinson. Looking to make an early mark on a young team, freshman Emily Stewart comes to Lehigh for the first time. Traditionally, Lehigh has had some of the more talented middle blockers in the Patriot League and 2021 could be no different with the potential surrounding the group.
"We're very excited to have Emily in the gym," said Keckler. "She's raised everyone else to a new level. Sophia Meagher is extremely impressive right now. She came back a totally different player than she was last year. She's come back completely focused on the task at and is extremely coachable.
"We lost Alina very early on in the season last year due to injury. We've got to keep her healthy to start with, but she's made major, major strides in her game."
The Mountain Hawks have a deep class of setters, with returning seniors Alina Lam and Sarah Carman, as well as sophomore Sarah Burau. Freshman Makena Smith is eager to make her debut with the brown and white, as all four could make an impact throughout the season.
"We've got four setters that can go on the court at any point and run the offense," Keckler said. "Sarah Burau got experience from last season and is more confident in her game, more connected to players. When Makena figures out the pace of the game and figure out tactics, she's got all the tools to be an outstanding performer in the Patriot League. We're really excited about what she could become down the road."
It's been a while since the program has had a consistent libero/defensive specialist making starts at Grace Hall, and with this current roster, there are two names that will surely split time in 2021. After the graduation of Allison Garrett, sophomore Ally Thaw had an impressive first go-around in the Patriot League in the spring while local Bethlehem native Kyleigh Brown has all the skills to be a spectacular addition to the team.
"Oh, it's been awesome to coach these two so far," Keckler said. "We've got two liberos that are phenomenal. We've got two great passers and challenging each other every day. They are relentless on defense and have literally upped the level of play. They are allowing us to run our middles more often than in the past. The ball control in the gym is something that we have really pushed as a staff to improve upon, but also to recruit those kinds of players."
Lehigh opens the new season on Friday with a tournament at Virginia Tech, a program that went just 6-11 a year ago. Playing non-league play for the first time since 2019, the Mountain Hawks hope that this fall's schedule will prepare them nicely for tough Patriot League competition.
"I think any time we take a look at the non-league games, we want to be able to be challenged and to let us figure out where we are strong and where we're weak," Keckler said. "Our opponents all three weekends to open the season are going to do that. For me, the biggest takeaway is to figure out what's in those areas and what we can and can't do. It also shows us how we have to apply each week's practice to fix those things, but also to see who connects well with each other on the court.
"I'm excited to travel as much as the competition is. It's also a great opportunity for our girls to bond and have experiences that brings them together. We didn't have those opportunities in the spring, which are crucial to our team's development. All of those pieces will be vital in our preparation as we step on the court."
The Patriot League is tough, evident by the recent dominance of Colgate, a worthy defending champion in Army West Point and the traditional reign of American. But Lehigh knows what it needs to do in order to compete and contend with the best.
"I really do think there is a question mark on what to expect from the Patriot League this season," Keckler said. "We didn't even see half the teams in person last year. To even know what they felt or looked like last year, we're not even sure if they'll be the same this year. Will the fifth years in the league still be great performers or will others step up? I don't know what to expect other than I know every team that goes out and plays goes out to win.
"For us, the mindset is to go out and be better than we were the previous day. We want to do as much preparation and homework that we can, but that starts in our gym. The level of expectation in the gym needs to continue to rise so we're prepared to compete against those teams. We want to go out and battle in every single match and give ourselves a chance to win and the chance to be a Patriot League Championship contender. That's all I can really ask of our players."
Lehigh kicks off the 2021 season on Friday at noon against Virginia Tech. That match will be streamed live on ACC Network Extra through ESPN+. The Mountain Hawks also take on Elon at 5 p.m. on Friday followed by a matchup with Toledo on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Like Lehigh Volleyball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
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