Friday, August 27
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Virginia Tech
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Photo by: Virginia Tech Athletics
Lehigh battles despite losses to Virginia Tech and Elon
8/27/2021 10:31:00 PM | Volleyball
BLACKSBURG, Va. – It was quite the battle to open the 2021 season as the Lehigh volleyball team fought back trailing 2-0 to Virginia Tech to reach a fifth set, only to fall 15-11. The Hokies held on the for the 3-2 (14-25, 19-25, 26-24, 25-19, 11-15) victory. The Mountain Hawks (0-2) dropped the first two sets of the second match of the day vs. Elon, coming back to win the third before dropping the fourth and the match (18-25, 20-25, 25-17, 22-25).
Lehigh's first day of the 2021 season finished 0-2, heading into the final day of the Virginia Tech Invitational on Saturday afternoon against Toledo.
"I think overall, we played like we were a young team," said head coach Alexa Keckler. "We did a lot of things really well and there were times where we killed ourselves. Both teams we faced today have some great talent and obviously against Virginia Tech we had a couple opportunities to win and just couldn't finish.
"And then opening up against Elon, we were really flat all the way through the first set," Keckler said. "You can't do that. They have some experienced hitters on their team and much more poised than we were to start."
After trailing 2-0 after the first two sets against host Virginia Tech, an almost lifeless squad found life in the third, rallying around fifth year Hannah Wright to get an emotional two-point victory over the Hokies. The set victory was Lehigh's first against the team dating back to its first meeting back in 1982.
With a 25-19 third set victory to tie it up, the Hokies held on for the 15-11 win in the fifth to take the season opener and upset bid away from the Mountain Hawks.
Freshman Megan Schulte was mighty impressive, tallying 15 kills to lead all attackers, also adding five digs. Sophomore Lylah Washington followed her up with 10 kills and 16 digs, for her first double-double of the season. Freshman setter Makena Smith was dominant, registering 43 assists and 10 digs to go along with four blocks. Freshman libero Kyleigh Brown finished with 16 digs.
"We had some great contributions from the freshman class today," said Keckler. "Makena (Smith) did a solid job running the floor for the first time and especially against an ACC team. Megan (Schulte) really had a great first match. She needed to do some adjusting against Elon but she still contributed from a defensive end.
"Kyleigh Brown's performance was stellar, she passed really well today. She's already showing some amazing leadership qualities on the court. She's a fighter and I love that about her. And I think Emily Stewart needed today to get acclimated to the speed of the game, but with a little more work, she'll be someone we'll rely a little heavier on in future matches."
The Mountain Hawks hit .126 for the match, progressively getting better throughout, hitting .241 in the fourth set and .250 in the fifth.
A win over ACC foe Virginia Tech would have given Lehigh it's first victory over a Power 5 opponent since 2018 when the team beat the Big 10's Rutgers in the Crosstown Invitational at Grace Hall.
Lehigh came out "flat" against Elon after an emotional five-set affair against the Hokies in the first match of the day. After being swept by Toledo in the morning, the Phoenix took the first two sets of the match, as the Mountain Hawks had their backs against the wall once again.
Lehigh opened the fourth set on an 11-4 run, pushing the lead out to 19-9 following an Ally Thaw service ace. A dual block from Makena Smith and Emily Stewart ended the threat as the Mountain Hawks held on for the 25-17 set victory. The Mountain Hawks battled in the fifth set, but were never able to pull ahead, as Elon got the victory and the match.
Three Mountain Hawks finished with double-digit kills, led by fifth year Sabrina Lancaster with 12. Hannah Wright had 11, while Megan Schulte added 10 with nine digs and five total blocks. Makena Smith had 37 assists, five blocks and four digs.
The tournament ends tomorrow at 1 p.m. when Lehigh takes on Toledo in Blacksburg. The Mountain Hawks are looking to avoid going 0-3 to start the season for the third straight year.
Like Lehigh Volleyball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
Lehigh's first day of the 2021 season finished 0-2, heading into the final day of the Virginia Tech Invitational on Saturday afternoon against Toledo.
"I think overall, we played like we were a young team," said head coach Alexa Keckler. "We did a lot of things really well and there were times where we killed ourselves. Both teams we faced today have some great talent and obviously against Virginia Tech we had a couple opportunities to win and just couldn't finish.
"And then opening up against Elon, we were really flat all the way through the first set," Keckler said. "You can't do that. They have some experienced hitters on their team and much more poised than we were to start."
After trailing 2-0 after the first two sets against host Virginia Tech, an almost lifeless squad found life in the third, rallying around fifth year Hannah Wright to get an emotional two-point victory over the Hokies. The set victory was Lehigh's first against the team dating back to its first meeting back in 1982.
With a 25-19 third set victory to tie it up, the Hokies held on for the 15-11 win in the fifth to take the season opener and upset bid away from the Mountain Hawks.
Freshman Megan Schulte was mighty impressive, tallying 15 kills to lead all attackers, also adding five digs. Sophomore Lylah Washington followed her up with 10 kills and 16 digs, for her first double-double of the season. Freshman setter Makena Smith was dominant, registering 43 assists and 10 digs to go along with four blocks. Freshman libero Kyleigh Brown finished with 16 digs.
"We had some great contributions from the freshman class today," said Keckler. "Makena (Smith) did a solid job running the floor for the first time and especially against an ACC team. Megan (Schulte) really had a great first match. She needed to do some adjusting against Elon but she still contributed from a defensive end.
"Kyleigh Brown's performance was stellar, she passed really well today. She's already showing some amazing leadership qualities on the court. She's a fighter and I love that about her. And I think Emily Stewart needed today to get acclimated to the speed of the game, but with a little more work, she'll be someone we'll rely a little heavier on in future matches."
The Mountain Hawks hit .126 for the match, progressively getting better throughout, hitting .241 in the fourth set and .250 in the fifth.
A win over ACC foe Virginia Tech would have given Lehigh it's first victory over a Power 5 opponent since 2018 when the team beat the Big 10's Rutgers in the Crosstown Invitational at Grace Hall.
Lehigh came out "flat" against Elon after an emotional five-set affair against the Hokies in the first match of the day. After being swept by Toledo in the morning, the Phoenix took the first two sets of the match, as the Mountain Hawks had their backs against the wall once again.
Lehigh opened the fourth set on an 11-4 run, pushing the lead out to 19-9 following an Ally Thaw service ace. A dual block from Makena Smith and Emily Stewart ended the threat as the Mountain Hawks held on for the 25-17 set victory. The Mountain Hawks battled in the fifth set, but were never able to pull ahead, as Elon got the victory and the match.
Three Mountain Hawks finished with double-digit kills, led by fifth year Sabrina Lancaster with 12. Hannah Wright had 11, while Megan Schulte added 10 with nine digs and five total blocks. Makena Smith had 37 assists, five blocks and four digs.
The tournament ends tomorrow at 1 p.m. when Lehigh takes on Toledo in Blacksburg. The Mountain Hawks are looking to avoid going 0-3 to start the season for the third straight year.
Like Lehigh Volleyball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
Team Stats
Lehigh
Hokies
Kills
48
54
Errors
29
23
Attempts
147
138
Hitting %
.129
.225
Points
62
70
Assists
44
48
Aces
6
8
Blocks
8
8
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
15
Aces
1
Blocks
2
Kills
10
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Players Mentioned
L/DS
/ VolleyballOH
/ VolleyballOH
/ Volleyball
S
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
OH
/ VolleyballRS/OH
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