Sunday, September 26
Bethlehem, Pa.
4 p.m.
Lehigh University
4-10,1-3Patriot
3
vs
0
Bucknell
5-8,1-3Patriot
1
2
3
F
Bucknell
18
20
15
0
Lehigh
25
25
25
3
Photo by: Josh Liddick
Mountain Hawks dominate from opening serve, sweep Bucknell at home
9/26/2021 7:23:00 PM | Volleyball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Dominant from the second it stepped out on the court, the Lehigh volleyball team secured its first Patriot League victory of the 2021 season with a 3-0 sweep of Bucknell Sunday afternoon at Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall.
The Mountain Hawks (4-10, 1-3 PL) led from the very beginning and hit well through the first two sets to claim the three-set win. The victory marks Lehigh's seventh straight vs. the Bison (5-8, 1-3 PL), improving its lead in the all-time series to 54-29.
"Today was definitely a great match for our girls to experience," said head coach Alexa Keckler. "We've been working hard and competing. Today we did a really good job of fine-tuning some things and we executed a lot better today through the whole match versus where we've been up and down a little bit.
"I'm proud of the girls and excited for them, the contributions of everyone stepping in. Today was definitely a great win and it's always nice to get a win in front of a great crowd."
Lehigh opened the first set on a 6-2 run following five straight points capped off by an Emily Stewart kill. Bucknell scratched and clawed back to make it a two-point contest, but the Mountain Hawks stretched the lead back to six points and held on for the 25-18 first set victory.
Bucknell opened the second set with a 13-6 push following a first set defeat, but that was just the beginning of Lehigh's march back to the top, as the Mountain Hawks found themselves on a 7-2 run to cut the deficit to just one point at 15-14. Trailing 19-16, Lehigh managed to rattle off seven straight points to surge ahead, 23-19. A Bison service error and attack error gave Lehigh the commanding 2-0 lead.
"I thought the distribution was pretty great," said Keckler. "I'm really happy with our middles starting to get some more connections going. Overall, I thought today our job was to go out, be aggressive and swing. We did that today. I think that showed our team what we can do and they went out and delivered."
Sabrina Lancaster had nine kills to pace the way for Lehigh for the second day in a row. She also added three block assists, providing energy and fuel for the Mountain Hawks during the impressive win.
"Sabrina's mindset is pretty incredible, she's never a player that ever doubts her ability and the team's ability," Keckler said. "I think that's great for our younger players to see. And whether she gets blocked or gets an error, she's pretty much ready to come back and get the next one. She definitely brings a ton of power to the floor."
Emily Stewart had seven kills, Megan Schulte had six with five digs and Ava Hudson provided a spark with five and four service aces. Freshman setter Makena Smith registered 26 assists, eight digs and four kills, while Kyleigh Brown had a team-high 13 digs.
The Mountain Hawks hit a total of .231 for the match including .296 in the first and .357 with 13 kills and just three errors in the second.
Lehigh continues the four-match homestand on Friday, taking on Loyola Maryland at 7 p.m., streamed live on ESPN+. The Mountain Hawks close the weekend on Saturday at 4 p.m. against Navy.
Like Lehigh Volleyball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
The Mountain Hawks (4-10, 1-3 PL) led from the very beginning and hit well through the first two sets to claim the three-set win. The victory marks Lehigh's seventh straight vs. the Bison (5-8, 1-3 PL), improving its lead in the all-time series to 54-29.
"Today was definitely a great match for our girls to experience," said head coach Alexa Keckler. "We've been working hard and competing. Today we did a really good job of fine-tuning some things and we executed a lot better today through the whole match versus where we've been up and down a little bit.
"I'm proud of the girls and excited for them, the contributions of everyone stepping in. Today was definitely a great win and it's always nice to get a win in front of a great crowd."
Lehigh opened the first set on a 6-2 run following five straight points capped off by an Emily Stewart kill. Bucknell scratched and clawed back to make it a two-point contest, but the Mountain Hawks stretched the lead back to six points and held on for the 25-18 first set victory.
Bucknell opened the second set with a 13-6 push following a first set defeat, but that was just the beginning of Lehigh's march back to the top, as the Mountain Hawks found themselves on a 7-2 run to cut the deficit to just one point at 15-14. Trailing 19-16, Lehigh managed to rattle off seven straight points to surge ahead, 23-19. A Bison service error and attack error gave Lehigh the commanding 2-0 lead.
Things started the way they finished in the second set, as Lehigh opened the stanza on an 8-2 run. Bucknell cut the Lehigh lead to as little as three points but the Mountain Hawks took back control, closing the set on a 12-6 run to take the set and the match, ending the weekend on a high note.Win column! ✅
— Lehigh Volleyball (@LehighVBall) September 26, 2021
Roll that tape! 📹#GoLehigh | #DoRight pic.twitter.com/CpGkMvpjOu
"I thought the distribution was pretty great," said Keckler. "I'm really happy with our middles starting to get some more connections going. Overall, I thought today our job was to go out, be aggressive and swing. We did that today. I think that showed our team what we can do and they went out and delivered."
Sabrina Lancaster had nine kills to pace the way for Lehigh for the second day in a row. She also added three block assists, providing energy and fuel for the Mountain Hawks during the impressive win.
"Sabrina's mindset is pretty incredible, she's never a player that ever doubts her ability and the team's ability," Keckler said. "I think that's great for our younger players to see. And whether she gets blocked or gets an error, she's pretty much ready to come back and get the next one. She definitely brings a ton of power to the floor."
Emily Stewart had seven kills, Megan Schulte had six with five digs and Ava Hudson provided a spark with five and four service aces. Freshman setter Makena Smith registered 26 assists, eight digs and four kills, while Kyleigh Brown had a team-high 13 digs.
The Mountain Hawks hit a total of .231 for the match including .296 in the first and .357 with 13 kills and just three errors in the second.
Lehigh continues the four-match homestand on Friday, taking on Loyola Maryland at 7 p.m., streamed live on ESPN+. The Mountain Hawks close the weekend on Saturday at 4 p.m. against Navy.
Like Lehigh Volleyball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
Team Stats
Buck
Lehigh
Kills
28
34
Errors
22
13
Attempts
92
91
Hitting %
.065
.231
Points
36
49
Assists
26
28
Aces
6
8
Blocks
2
7
Game Leaders
Kills
9
Aces
1
Blocks
3
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
5
Aces
4
Blocks
1
Players Mentioned
L/DS
/ VolleyballOH
/ VolleyballOH
/ VolleyballOH
/ Volleyball
S
/ VolleyballMB
/ VolleyballVB vs. Loyola
Friday, October 10
Volleyball vs. American
Saturday, October 04
Mountain Hawk Talk - S2 EP2 - Volleyball
Friday, September 26
2025 Lehigh Volleyball Season Preview
Friday, August 29
