Lehigh University
Merrimack
Volleyball Travels To UConn For Weekend Tournament
8/31/2023 9:27:00 PM | Volleyball
Mountain Hawks To Face Merrimack, UConn, And Hofstra
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Another weekend chalk full of volleyball for the Lehigh Mountain Hawks is set to take place on the campus of the University of Connecticut starting Friday. Lehigh travels north to take on Merrimack, Hofstra, and the host Huskies over the course of the next two days.
The Mountain Hawks (2-1) travel to Storrs, Connecticut after competing at the Cherry & White Challenge at Temple University last weekend. Lehigh opened their season on a strong note, winning their first two matches against LIU and Iona in two five-set thrillers. Their weekend culminated with a 3-0 loss to the host Temple, although the Mountain Hawks competed hard in all three sets. Junior Makena Smith and sophomore Madison McCartney impressed over the weekend, as both were named to the all-tournament team for their efforts. After one weekend of play, Megan Schulte leads the team in kills with 30, Smith leads the way in assists with 71, and Kyleigh Brown leads the squad with 61 digs.
The Merrimack Warriors (1-2) competed at the Bearcat Classic this past weekend hosted by Binghamton University. The Warriors lost their opening bout against the host Bearcats in three sets, but followed that performance up with a 3-1 win over Saint Peter's the following morning. They concluded their weekend with a 3-0 loss to Duquesne. Julz Carlat leads the Warriors in kills with 39, Mia Ardila is the assists leader with 92, and Cate Wright leads the team in digs with 29. Lehigh leads the all-time series against Merrimack 1-0, having defeated the Warriors last season.
The UConn Huskies (1-2) opened their season in Athens, Georgia for a tournament hosted by the Georgia Bulldogs. UConn lost its season opener to the Bulldogs in three sets, but followed up that performance with a 3-2 win over Western Carolina. The Huskies finished up their weekend with a 3-0 loss to the Florida State Seminoles. Cera Powell leads UConn with 32 kills, Doga Kutlu has the most assists on the team with 55, and Karly Berkland is the digs leader with 52. Saturday's match will mark the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
The Hofstra Pride (4-0) have had a successful start their season after hosting their own tournament last weekend. The Pride picked up wins over Siena, NJIT, and Delaware State, only conceding two sets in the process. After sweeping their tournament, Hofstra traveled to Iona for a match that they went on to win 3-0. Clara Bal leads the team with 50 kills, Beatriz Alves has an outstanding 132 assists while Beatriz Barga leads the Pride with 31 digs. Saturday's match will be the first meeting between Hofstra and Lehigh in volleyball.
For coverage of this weekend's tournament, follow along on live stats at the following links (Merrimack, UConn, Hofstra). All of the matches will be streamed on the UConn+ streaming platform for free.Â
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