Thursday, September 7
Bethlehem, Pa.
7:00 PM
Lehigh University
vs
Virginia Tech
Photo by: @acolemanphotography
Mountain Hawks Set To Host Steel Classic Tournament
9/6/2023 4:10:00 PM | Volleyball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Lehigh volleyball returns to action this weekend to host its annual Steel Classic Tournament, which will take place from Thursday to Saturday this weekend. The Mountain Hawks will open the tournament against Virginia Tech Thursday at 7 p.m., face Delaware State at 7 p.m. on Friday, and conclude the weekend on Saturday with matches against Binghamton at 12:30 p.m. and FDU at 7 p.m.
The Mountain Hawks (5-1) return to play following a perfect 3-0 weekend at UConn's tournament in Storrs, Conn. Lehigh began the weekend with a 3-0 sweep of Merrimack, but then found themselves in two battles against the host UConn and undefeated Hofstra. Despite being down two sets to one in both contests, the Mountain Hawks battled back in both matches to win in five sets and claim the tournament crown. Junior Megan Schulte was named the tournament's MVP after recording a total of 45 kills over the weekend. Fellow junior Kyleigh Brown and senior Katarina Kaburov were also named to the all-tournament team for their efforts. In addition, first-year Ufuoma Omene earned the Patriot League's Rookie of the Week after a solid showing in Storrs, including back-to-back double-digit kill matches against UConn and Hofstra.
Virginia Tech (6-0) travels to Bethlehem with a perfect record thus-far on the season. The Hokies competed at the Toledo Challenge this past weekend, a tournament hosted by the Toledo Rockets. Virginia Tech swept both Memphis and Youngstown State while winning in five sets over the host Toledo. Their two lost sets against the Rockets are the only two set losses that the Hokies have suffered this season. Elayna Duprey leads the Hokies with 46 kills on the season, Hanna Borer has recorded a team-high 159 assists, and Iliana Rodriguez leads the way with 67 digs for VT.
Delaware State (3-4) enters the weekend coming off of a 1-2 mark at the Kathy DeBoer Invitational hosted by Michigan State University. The Hornets opened their weekend with a 3-0 sweep over ACC opponent Syracuse. However, Delaware State would go on to lose 3-0 to both Belmont and the host Michigan State in the following two matches. Alondra Maldonado was named to the all-tournament team for her efforts and is currently leads the Hornets with 64 kills on the year. Kaulana Kalulu-Sugai has the most assists on the team with 89 while Valeria Otero leads the way for the Hornets with 62 digs.
Binghamton (4-3) has had an up and down start to its season. The Bearcats opened the season with three wins in their own Bearcat Classic, but followed those performances up with three losses at the Buffalo Invite. However, Binghamton got back on track with a 3-0 win over Le Moyne this past Tuesday. Tsvetelina Ilieva has 91 kills thus far on the year, which leads the Bearcats. Zoe Myint leads the team with 107 assists while Ilieva also leads the squad with 70 digs.
FDU (1-6) comes to the Steel Classic after dropping its home-opener to NJIT this past Tuesday in five sets. The Knights opened their season at the FAU Invitational, dropping all three of their matches 3-1. Their lone win of the season came in a 3-0 sweep of Rider at the Towson Invitational last weekend. Kylie Nott leads the team in kills with 89, Hannah Schmidt is the team leader in assists with 251, and Emily Van O'Linda leads the Knights with 92 digs.
For coverage of this weekend's tournament, follow along on live stats and our social media accounts. All of Lehigh's matches will be streamed on ESPN+.
Like Lehigh Volleyball on Facebook, follow on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
The Mountain Hawks (5-1) return to play following a perfect 3-0 weekend at UConn's tournament in Storrs, Conn. Lehigh began the weekend with a 3-0 sweep of Merrimack, but then found themselves in two battles against the host UConn and undefeated Hofstra. Despite being down two sets to one in both contests, the Mountain Hawks battled back in both matches to win in five sets and claim the tournament crown. Junior Megan Schulte was named the tournament's MVP after recording a total of 45 kills over the weekend. Fellow junior Kyleigh Brown and senior Katarina Kaburov were also named to the all-tournament team for their efforts. In addition, first-year Ufuoma Omene earned the Patriot League's Rookie of the Week after a solid showing in Storrs, including back-to-back double-digit kill matches against UConn and Hofstra.
Virginia Tech (6-0) travels to Bethlehem with a perfect record thus-far on the season. The Hokies competed at the Toledo Challenge this past weekend, a tournament hosted by the Toledo Rockets. Virginia Tech swept both Memphis and Youngstown State while winning in five sets over the host Toledo. Their two lost sets against the Rockets are the only two set losses that the Hokies have suffered this season. Elayna Duprey leads the Hokies with 46 kills on the season, Hanna Borer has recorded a team-high 159 assists, and Iliana Rodriguez leads the way with 67 digs for VT.
Delaware State (3-4) enters the weekend coming off of a 1-2 mark at the Kathy DeBoer Invitational hosted by Michigan State University. The Hornets opened their weekend with a 3-0 sweep over ACC opponent Syracuse. However, Delaware State would go on to lose 3-0 to both Belmont and the host Michigan State in the following two matches. Alondra Maldonado was named to the all-tournament team for her efforts and is currently leads the Hornets with 64 kills on the year. Kaulana Kalulu-Sugai has the most assists on the team with 89 while Valeria Otero leads the way for the Hornets with 62 digs.
Binghamton (4-3) has had an up and down start to its season. The Bearcats opened the season with three wins in their own Bearcat Classic, but followed those performances up with three losses at the Buffalo Invite. However, Binghamton got back on track with a 3-0 win over Le Moyne this past Tuesday. Tsvetelina Ilieva has 91 kills thus far on the year, which leads the Bearcats. Zoe Myint leads the team with 107 assists while Ilieva also leads the squad with 70 digs.
FDU (1-6) comes to the Steel Classic after dropping its home-opener to NJIT this past Tuesday in five sets. The Knights opened their season at the FAU Invitational, dropping all three of their matches 3-1. Their lone win of the season came in a 3-0 sweep of Rider at the Towson Invitational last weekend. Kylie Nott leads the team in kills with 89, Hannah Schmidt is the team leader in assists with 251, and Emily Van O'Linda leads the Knights with 92 digs.
For coverage of this weekend's tournament, follow along on live stats and our social media accounts. All of Lehigh's matches will be streamed on ESPN+.
Like Lehigh Volleyball on Facebook, follow on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
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