Friday, August 25
Philadelphia, Pa.
7:00 PM
Lehigh University
1-0,0-0Patriot
3
vs
2
LIU
0-1,0-0NEC
1
2
3
4
5
F
Lehigh
23
25
28
24
16
3
LIU
25
21
26
26
14
2
Photo by: Hannahally Photography
Volleyball Wins Thriller Over LIU In Season Opener
8/25/2023 10:34:00 PM | Volleyball
Mountain Hawks Score Four Unanswered In Fifth Set To Win
PHILADELPHIA – The 2023 Lehigh volleyball season is officially underway, and the team's opening match didn't disappoint. The Mountain Hawks won a five-set thriller over the LIU Sharks, scoring four unanswered points to claim a 16-14 fifth set victory.
"We are super proud of our players resiliency tonight," said head coach Alexa Keckler following the win. "They definitely showed a lot of fight and heart. There's an exciting match to start the season off, that's for sure."
The Sharks opened the first set on a strong note, jumping out to a 5-1 lead. However, the Mountain Hawks came crawling back, keeping the score within two to three points for the majority of the set. Emily Stewart impressed early on, recording seven of Lehigh's 11 kills in the opening frame. First-year Abby Felkai also made an impact off the bench, assisting on five points in her first ever collegiate set. After a competitive first set, LIU earned the set point 25-23.
Set number two began favorably for Lehigh, as the Mountain Hawks earned an early 7-2 advantage. Lehigh carried that momentum throughout the set, garnering as much as a nine-point lead. However, the Sharks rallied, pulling to within two points of the Mountain Hawks. Despite the LIU run, Lehigh stayed composed, as Ufuoma Omene secured set point and Megan Schulte put the exclamation point on the team's first set victory of the year.
While both the first and second set began with one team gaining an early edge, neither side could muster more than a three-point lead to start the third. The Sharks finally pulled ahead to a 21-18 advantage late in the set, but the Mountain Hawks rallied back to gain a 24-22 lead thanks to kills from Omene, Schulte, and Dakota Hartman. With the set victory in their grasps, the Sharks continued to fight, tying the contest at 24 apiece. After a lengthy back and forth, first-year Jaidyn Garcia's solo block secured a 28-26 set victory for Lehigh.
After the Mountain Hawks grabbed momentum with a huge third set win, the Sharks would take it right back, jumping out to a 10-4 lead to start the fourth. Their lead was short lived, as a 6-0 Lehigh run put the Mountain Hawks right back into the set. After gaining a 19-18 advantage, a 4-0 run by LIU put the Sharks ahead deep into the fourth. This would not deter Lehigh, who swiftly orchestrated a 4-0 run of their own to put themselves in position to win the set, but it would be LIU who earned the fourth set victory by a narrow 26-24 margin.
In the fifth and final set, LIU applied the pressure, gaining a 14-12 advantage to give themselves match point. Despite this, the Mountain Hawks hung in tough, scoring four unanswered to earn the match victory in what can only be defined as a crazy season opening win.
Ufuoma Omena led the Mountain Hawks in kills with 16 in her first ever collegiate match while 2022 All-Patriot League selections Emily Stewart and Megan Schulte added 11 kills apiece. Kyleigh Brown led the way with 29 digs while Stewart and first-year Jaidyn Garcia each tallied one solo block. Overall, Lehigh registered a .173 hitting percentage to LIU's .130.
"The first-years did a great job stepping on the court, not showing any nerves, and adjusting to a game that is much faster than they are used to," said Keckler on the contributions of her first-year players. "Very proud of how they impacted the court."
Lehigh will return to play at the Cherry & White Challenge tomorrow to take on Iona. The match is scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m. in Philadelphia.
"And now it's onto the next match," said Keckler. "We have to think about how we can decrease our unforced errors, how we can be a little more aggressive and consistent from the service line, and come out ready to perform."
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"We are super proud of our players resiliency tonight," said head coach Alexa Keckler following the win. "They definitely showed a lot of fight and heart. There's an exciting match to start the season off, that's for sure."
The Sharks opened the first set on a strong note, jumping out to a 5-1 lead. However, the Mountain Hawks came crawling back, keeping the score within two to three points for the majority of the set. Emily Stewart impressed early on, recording seven of Lehigh's 11 kills in the opening frame. First-year Abby Felkai also made an impact off the bench, assisting on five points in her first ever collegiate set. After a competitive first set, LIU earned the set point 25-23.
Set number two began favorably for Lehigh, as the Mountain Hawks earned an early 7-2 advantage. Lehigh carried that momentum throughout the set, garnering as much as a nine-point lead. However, the Sharks rallied, pulling to within two points of the Mountain Hawks. Despite the LIU run, Lehigh stayed composed, as Ufuoma Omene secured set point and Megan Schulte put the exclamation point on the team's first set victory of the year.
While both the first and second set began with one team gaining an early edge, neither side could muster more than a three-point lead to start the third. The Sharks finally pulled ahead to a 21-18 advantage late in the set, but the Mountain Hawks rallied back to gain a 24-22 lead thanks to kills from Omene, Schulte, and Dakota Hartman. With the set victory in their grasps, the Sharks continued to fight, tying the contest at 24 apiece. After a lengthy back and forth, first-year Jaidyn Garcia's solo block secured a 28-26 set victory for Lehigh.
After the Mountain Hawks grabbed momentum with a huge third set win, the Sharks would take it right back, jumping out to a 10-4 lead to start the fourth. Their lead was short lived, as a 6-0 Lehigh run put the Mountain Hawks right back into the set. After gaining a 19-18 advantage, a 4-0 run by LIU put the Sharks ahead deep into the fourth. This would not deter Lehigh, who swiftly orchestrated a 4-0 run of their own to put themselves in position to win the set, but it would be LIU who earned the fourth set victory by a narrow 26-24 margin.
In the fifth and final set, LIU applied the pressure, gaining a 14-12 advantage to give themselves match point. Despite this, the Mountain Hawks hung in tough, scoring four unanswered to earn the match victory in what can only be defined as a crazy season opening win.
Ufuoma Omena led the Mountain Hawks in kills with 16 in her first ever collegiate match while 2022 All-Patriot League selections Emily Stewart and Megan Schulte added 11 kills apiece. Kyleigh Brown led the way with 29 digs while Stewart and first-year Jaidyn Garcia each tallied one solo block. Overall, Lehigh registered a .173 hitting percentage to LIU's .130.
"The first-years did a great job stepping on the court, not showing any nerves, and adjusting to a game that is much faster than they are used to," said Keckler on the contributions of her first-year players. "Very proud of how they impacted the court."
Lehigh will return to play at the Cherry & White Challenge tomorrow to take on Iona. The match is scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m. in Philadelphia.
"And now it's onto the next match," said Keckler. "We have to think about how we can decrease our unforced errors, how we can be a little more aggressive and consistent from the service line, and come out ready to perform."
Â
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
Lehigh
LIU
Kills
70
52
Errors
37
28
Attempts
191
184
Hitting %
.173
.130
Points
88.0
67.0
Assists
63
47
Aces
9
7
Blocks
9
8
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
16
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
11
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Kills
11
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
10
Aces
1
Blocks
4
Players Mentioned
L/DS
/ Volleyball
S
/ Volleyball
RS
/ Volleyball
OH
/ VolleyballRS
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
MB
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