Wednesday, September 13
Bethlehem, Pa.
7:00 PM
Lehigh University
8-3,0-0Patriot
3
vs
1
Villanova
7-3,0-0Big East
1
2
3
4
F
Villanova
23
25
24
20
1
Lehigh
25
23
26
25
3
Photo by: Katie McNulty
Schulte Ties Career-High 24 Kills, Lehigh Wins 3-1 Over Villanova
9/13/2023 10:44:00 PM | Volleyball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Lehigh volleyball played its first game after last weekend's Steel Classic on Wednesday night, welcoming the Villanova Wildcats to Grace Hall. The Mountain Hawks pulled off an impressive 3-1 victory over the Wildcats to give Lehigh a two-match winning streak headed into the Patriot League season.
"Tonight's win was certainly a great match to have going into Patriot League play," said head coach Alexa Keckler. "The win was exciting and hopefully will propel us into some strong play this weekend."
Lehigh (8-3) and Villanova (7-3) battled in what was a close and competitive match the whole way through. The first set was won by Lehigh by a score of 25-23 thanks to a 3-0 run to end the first frame. The Wildcats returned the favor in the second, claiming a 25-23 victory of their own to tie the match at one set apiece.
The third set of the match was once again deadlocked, as neither side led by more than three points the entire way through. After much back-and-forth, the Mountain Hawks and Wildcats found themselves deadlocked at 24-24, and the set seemed destined to continue on. However, first-year Abby Felkai set up Megan Schulte for back-to-back kills that awarded Lehigh a crucial 26-24 third set victory.
After scratching and clawing their way to two hard-earned set victories in the first and third, the Mountain Hawks hit their rhythm in the fourth. Once Villanova took a 14-12 advantage over Lehigh, the Mountain Hawks conducted a 6-0 run to gain an 18-14 lead highlighted by kills from Lylah Washington and Emily Stewart. The Wildcats would close the gap slightly, but a Schulte kill off of a Makena Smith assist sealed the deal for Lehigh's 25-20 match-clinching win.
The Mountain Hawks had three players record hitting percentages of .300 or higher in Wednesday night's contest (Megan Schulte .308, Makena Smith .333, Emily Stewart .467). Abby Felkai led Lehigh with 23 assists while Kyleigh Brown recorded 19 digs, putting her only 45 away from a career total of 1,000. Schulte registered 24 kills on the night, which ties her career-high.
"Megan and Emily's performances were excellent. They executed well and stuck to the game plan," said Keckler. "Makena and Abby did an excellent job of putting our hitters in great positions to score."
The win marks Lehigh's second triumph over a Big East opponent this season (3-2 at UConn, 9/2) and gives the Mountain Hawks a two-match winning streak over the Wildcats.
Lehigh will host two more matches this upcoming weekend, both of which against Patriot League opponents. The Mountain Hawks will face off against Holy Cross on Saturday at 4 p.m. to kick off league play followed by a 4 p.m. tilt against reigning champion Colgate on Sunday.
"Honestly, I think our team will need to stay focused on one opponent at a time and be aware of our game plan and executing that plan," said Keckler as the team heads into the Patriot League season.
Like Lehigh Volleyball on Facebook, follow on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
"Tonight's win was certainly a great match to have going into Patriot League play," said head coach Alexa Keckler. "The win was exciting and hopefully will propel us into some strong play this weekend."
Lehigh (8-3) and Villanova (7-3) battled in what was a close and competitive match the whole way through. The first set was won by Lehigh by a score of 25-23 thanks to a 3-0 run to end the first frame. The Wildcats returned the favor in the second, claiming a 25-23 victory of their own to tie the match at one set apiece.
The third set of the match was once again deadlocked, as neither side led by more than three points the entire way through. After much back-and-forth, the Mountain Hawks and Wildcats found themselves deadlocked at 24-24, and the set seemed destined to continue on. However, first-year Abby Felkai set up Megan Schulte for back-to-back kills that awarded Lehigh a crucial 26-24 third set victory.
After scratching and clawing their way to two hard-earned set victories in the first and third, the Mountain Hawks hit their rhythm in the fourth. Once Villanova took a 14-12 advantage over Lehigh, the Mountain Hawks conducted a 6-0 run to gain an 18-14 lead highlighted by kills from Lylah Washington and Emily Stewart. The Wildcats would close the gap slightly, but a Schulte kill off of a Makena Smith assist sealed the deal for Lehigh's 25-20 match-clinching win.
The Mountain Hawks had three players record hitting percentages of .300 or higher in Wednesday night's contest (Megan Schulte .308, Makena Smith .333, Emily Stewart .467). Abby Felkai led Lehigh with 23 assists while Kyleigh Brown recorded 19 digs, putting her only 45 away from a career total of 1,000. Schulte registered 24 kills on the night, which ties her career-high.
"Megan and Emily's performances were excellent. They executed well and stuck to the game plan," said Keckler. "Makena and Abby did an excellent job of putting our hitters in great positions to score."
The win marks Lehigh's second triumph over a Big East opponent this season (3-2 at UConn, 9/2) and gives the Mountain Hawks a two-match winning streak over the Wildcats.
Lehigh will host two more matches this upcoming weekend, both of which against Patriot League opponents. The Mountain Hawks will face off against Holy Cross on Saturday at 4 p.m. to kick off league play followed by a 4 p.m. tilt against reigning champion Colgate on Sunday.
"Honestly, I think our team will need to stay focused on one opponent at a time and be aware of our game plan and executing that plan," said Keckler as the team heads into the Patriot League season.
Like Lehigh Volleyball on Facebook, follow on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
Team Stats
VU
Lehigh
Kills
56
60
Errors
26
17
Attempts
176
173
Hitting %
.170
.249
Points
64.0
75.0
Assists
53
53
Aces
4
5
Blocks
4
10
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
24
Aces
1
Blocks
0
Kills
7
Aces
2
Blocks
9
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Players Mentioned
L/DS
/ Volleyball
S
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
S
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
OH
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