Friday, November 3
Bethlehem, Pa.
7:00 PM
Lehigh University
13-12,5-9Patriot
3
vs
0
Lafayette
9-13,5-9Patriot
1
2
3
F
Lafayette
14
16
14
0
Lehigh
25
25
25
3
Photo by: Hannahally Photography
Lehigh Dominates In 3-0 Sweep Of Rival Lafayette
11/3/2023 10:38:00 PM | Volleyball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Fans piled into Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall for tonight's edition of the Rivalry, presented by Lehigh Valley Orthopedic Institute. Lehigh took care of business against its archrival on Friday night, sweeping Lafayette in three sets.
Lehigh (13-12, 5-9 PL) entered the night trailing Lafayette (9-13, 5-9 PL) by one match in the Patriot League standings. Hungry for a win after falling to their rival 3-1 earlier in the season, Lehigh made sure to set the tone of the match early. After conceding the opening two points to the Leopards, the Mountain Hawks unleashed a flurry of offense, jumping ahead to a 14-6 advantage. Efficiency from both the service line and on offense allowed Lehigh to cruise to a 25-14 opening set victory.
The Mountain Hawks didn't skip a beat in the second, as the team once again built a sizable lead over the Leopards early in the frame. Lehigh continued to play near flawless volleyball the rest of the way, culminating in a 25-16 win and 2-0 set lead.
Lehigh matched its winning score from the opening set in the third, picking up a commanding 25-14 win. While Lafayette did hold a 9-8 advantage early on, an 8-0 Lehigh run highlighted by three consecutive Katarina Kaburov service aces put the Mountain Hawks back in control. A kill from junior Megan Schulte put the icing on the cake in Lehigh's statement win over its rival.
The win puts Lehigh in the thick of the race for the sixth and final spot in this month's Patriot League tournament. The Mountain Hawks are currently tied with Loyola and Lafayette for sixth, but the Greyhounds and Leopards currently hold tiebreakers over them. Lehigh will need to either finish 2-0 with both Loyola and Lafayette taking a loss in their final two matches or finish 1-1 with the two schools both concluding their seasons 0-2.
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The Mountain Hawks hit an outstanding .333 as a team on Friday, which is the highest percentage the team has hit in league play this season. The win marks Lehigh's fourth sweep of the season and third against a Patriot League opponent on the year.
Three players recorded hitting percentages over .400 during Friday's match. Megan Schulte led the way with 13 kills on .429, senior Lylah Washington added 10 kills on .471 while junior Makena Smith added three kills of her own off of a .400 hitting percentage.
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Smith also led the team in assists with 25 to help facilitate a Lehigh offense that was firing on all cylinders. Junior Kyleigh Brown's 11 digs led the Mountain Hawks, Emily Stewart added a team-high five blocks while senior Katarina Kaburov recorded six aces from the service line.
Lehigh travels west to Bucknell on Sunday for their second-to-last match of the regular season. First serve is scheduled for 4 p.m. in Lewisburg.
Like Lehigh Volleyball on Facebook, follow on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
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Lehigh (13-12, 5-9 PL) entered the night trailing Lafayette (9-13, 5-9 PL) by one match in the Patriot League standings. Hungry for a win after falling to their rival 3-1 earlier in the season, Lehigh made sure to set the tone of the match early. After conceding the opening two points to the Leopards, the Mountain Hawks unleashed a flurry of offense, jumping ahead to a 14-6 advantage. Efficiency from both the service line and on offense allowed Lehigh to cruise to a 25-14 opening set victory.
The Mountain Hawks didn't skip a beat in the second, as the team once again built a sizable lead over the Leopards early in the frame. Lehigh continued to play near flawless volleyball the rest of the way, culminating in a 25-16 win and 2-0 set lead.
Lehigh matched its winning score from the opening set in the third, picking up a commanding 25-14 win. While Lafayette did hold a 9-8 advantage early on, an 8-0 Lehigh run highlighted by three consecutive Katarina Kaburov service aces put the Mountain Hawks back in control. A kill from junior Megan Schulte put the icing on the cake in Lehigh's statement win over its rival.
The win puts Lehigh in the thick of the race for the sixth and final spot in this month's Patriot League tournament. The Mountain Hawks are currently tied with Loyola and Lafayette for sixth, but the Greyhounds and Leopards currently hold tiebreakers over them. Lehigh will need to either finish 2-0 with both Loyola and Lafayette taking a loss in their final two matches or finish 1-1 with the two schools both concluding their seasons 0-2.
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🔊 Hear from head coach Alexa Keckler following tonight's BIG win over Lafayette in #TheRivalry presented by LVOI!#GoLehigh pic.twitter.com/jL9nLTgIt7
— Lehigh Volleyball (@LehighVBall) November 4, 2023
The Mountain Hawks hit an outstanding .333 as a team on Friday, which is the highest percentage the team has hit in league play this season. The win marks Lehigh's fourth sweep of the season and third against a Patriot League opponent on the year.
Three players recorded hitting percentages over .400 during Friday's match. Megan Schulte led the way with 13 kills on .429, senior Lylah Washington added 10 kills on .471 while junior Makena Smith added three kills of her own off of a .400 hitting percentage.
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🔊 Junior Makena Smith speaks on her team's 3-0 win over their rival.#GoLehigh pic.twitter.com/Dn7eH22cjS
— Lehigh Volleyball (@LehighVBall) November 4, 2023
Smith also led the team in assists with 25 to help facilitate a Lehigh offense that was firing on all cylinders. Junior Kyleigh Brown's 11 digs led the Mountain Hawks, Emily Stewart added a team-high five blocks while senior Katarina Kaburov recorded six aces from the service line.
Lehigh travels west to Bucknell on Sunday for their second-to-last match of the regular season. First serve is scheduled for 4 p.m. in Lewisburg.
Like Lehigh Volleyball on Facebook, follow on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
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Team Stats
Laf
Lehigh
Kills
27
38
Errors
19
9
Attempts
96
87
Hitting %
.083
.333
Points
31.0
58.0
Assists
24
29
Aces
2
11
Blocks
2
9
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
13
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
10
Aces
3
Blocks
4
Kills
5
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
4
Aces
0
Blocks
5
Players Mentioned
L/DS
/ Volleyball
OH
/ VolleyballOH
/ Volleyball
S
/ VolleyballMB
/ VolleyballOH
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