Thursday, September 7
Bethlehem, Pa.
7:00 PM
Lehigh University
5-2,0-0Patriot
0
vs
3
Virginia Tech
7-0,0-0ACC
1
2
3
F
Virginia Tech
25
25
27
3
Lehigh
18
21
25
0
Photo by: Katie McNulty
Mountain Hawks Battle, Fall To Virginia Tech In Home Opener
9/7/2023 10:12:00 PM | Volleyball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Lehigh volleyball kicked off the annual Steel Classic presented by SureStay at Best Western Thursday night against the undefeated Virginia Tech Hokies. Despite forcing the third set to extra points, the Mountain Hawks ultimately fell in three sets to their ACC visitors in the team's home opener.
"It was electric in Leeman-Turner Arena tonight and fun to be at home," said head coach Alexa Keckler. "The crowd was outstanding."
The Hokies (7-0) entered tonight's match having only conceded two sets the entire year, and they began the opening set on a strong note. Virginia Tech opened the night on a 5-1 run, and at one point extending its lead to five. Lehigh (5-2) was able to shorten the gap, conducting a 4-1 run to cut the Hokies' lead to only two points at 13-11. However, a quick 4-0 run extended their lead to six, and the Hokies carried that momentum to a 25-18 opening set victory.
The Mountain Hawks responded well to open the second frame, jumping ahead to a 3-0 lead to the pleasure of the Lehigh fans in attendance. After some back and forth to begin the second set, Lehigh eventually found themselves ahead by five points with the score at 14-9. The Hokies found new life at this point, orchestrating an impressive 9-0 run to regain control of the set. Although the Mountain Hawks again cut Virginia Tech's lead to two, the Hokies swiftly concluded the set on a 3-1 run to go up 2-0 in the contest.
Prospects of victory did not look promising for Lehigh to begin the third set, as Virginia Tech quickly catapulted to a 7-1 advantage. Virginia Tech at one point led by as many as nine in the frame.
However, the Mountain Hawks weren't quite finished. Slowly but surely, Lehigh cut into Virginia Tech's lead, eventually narrowing the margin to five points. The Hokies earned set point with the score sitting at 24-18, but a 6-0 run by the Mountain Hawks rejuvenated the home team and Lehigh faithful in the stands. Tied at 24 apiece, Virginia Tech seemingly won the match after earning two quick points from a Jasmine Robinson kill and dump over the net into an array of Mountain Hawk defenders. However, Keckler challenged the call and won, sending Leeman-Turner Arena into a roar. Unfortunately for Lehigh, the Hokies would still ultimately come away with a 27-25 third set win, clinching them their seventh straight win to open 2023.
"I certainly think in the third set we played more to our potential," said Keckler. "We were much more aggressive offensively, and we were forcing Virginia Tech to make errors. We needed to be doing that the whole time for sure."
Reigning Patriot League Rookie of the Week Ufuoma Omene led the way for the Mountain Hawks with 11 kills while Katarina Kaburov and Megan Schulte registered nine and eight respectively. Makena Smith tallied a team-high 21 assists on the night while Kyleigh Brown once again led the team with 15 digs. Emily Stewart had an efficient night on the court as well, recording a .375 hitting percentage.
The Mountain Hawks return to play at the Steel Classic presented by SureStay at Best Western tomorrow at 7 p.m. to face the visiting Delaware State Hornets. Live stats can be found at Lehighsports.com and the match will be broadcast on ESPN+.
"In both the second and third sets we gave a 4-5 point run in the middle of the set, and that really hurt us to be able to come back and win," said Keckler. "Moving into the rest of the weekend, I think it's minimizing those runs and continuing to be aggressive, from both the service line and from an attacking perspective."
Like Lehigh Volleyball on Facebook, follow on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
"It was electric in Leeman-Turner Arena tonight and fun to be at home," said head coach Alexa Keckler. "The crowd was outstanding."
The Hokies (7-0) entered tonight's match having only conceded two sets the entire year, and they began the opening set on a strong note. Virginia Tech opened the night on a 5-1 run, and at one point extending its lead to five. Lehigh (5-2) was able to shorten the gap, conducting a 4-1 run to cut the Hokies' lead to only two points at 13-11. However, a quick 4-0 run extended their lead to six, and the Hokies carried that momentum to a 25-18 opening set victory.
The Mountain Hawks responded well to open the second frame, jumping ahead to a 3-0 lead to the pleasure of the Lehigh fans in attendance. After some back and forth to begin the second set, Lehigh eventually found themselves ahead by five points with the score at 14-9. The Hokies found new life at this point, orchestrating an impressive 9-0 run to regain control of the set. Although the Mountain Hawks again cut Virginia Tech's lead to two, the Hokies swiftly concluded the set on a 3-1 run to go up 2-0 in the contest.
Prospects of victory did not look promising for Lehigh to begin the third set, as Virginia Tech quickly catapulted to a 7-1 advantage. Virginia Tech at one point led by as many as nine in the frame.
However, the Mountain Hawks weren't quite finished. Slowly but surely, Lehigh cut into Virginia Tech's lead, eventually narrowing the margin to five points. The Hokies earned set point with the score sitting at 24-18, but a 6-0 run by the Mountain Hawks rejuvenated the home team and Lehigh faithful in the stands. Tied at 24 apiece, Virginia Tech seemingly won the match after earning two quick points from a Jasmine Robinson kill and dump over the net into an array of Mountain Hawk defenders. However, Keckler challenged the call and won, sending Leeman-Turner Arena into a roar. Unfortunately for Lehigh, the Hokies would still ultimately come away with a 27-25 third set win, clinching them their seventh straight win to open 2023.
"I certainly think in the third set we played more to our potential," said Keckler. "We were much more aggressive offensively, and we were forcing Virginia Tech to make errors. We needed to be doing that the whole time for sure."
Reigning Patriot League Rookie of the Week Ufuoma Omene led the way for the Mountain Hawks with 11 kills while Katarina Kaburov and Megan Schulte registered nine and eight respectively. Makena Smith tallied a team-high 21 assists on the night while Kyleigh Brown once again led the team with 15 digs. Emily Stewart had an efficient night on the court as well, recording a .375 hitting percentage.
The Mountain Hawks return to play at the Steel Classic presented by SureStay at Best Western tomorrow at 7 p.m. to face the visiting Delaware State Hornets. Live stats can be found at Lehighsports.com and the match will be broadcast on ESPN+.
"In both the second and third sets we gave a 4-5 point run in the middle of the set, and that really hurt us to be able to come back and win," said Keckler. "Moving into the rest of the weekend, I think it's minimizing those runs and continuing to be aggressive, from both the service line and from an attacking perspective."
Like Lehigh Volleyball on Facebook, follow on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
Team Stats
VT
Lehigh
Kills
47
38
Errors
15
18
Attempts
99
110
Hitting %
.323
.182
Points
57.0
45.0
Assists
38
34
Aces
4
4
Blocks
6
3
Game Leaders
Kills
11
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
4
Aces
1
Blocks
1
Players Mentioned
L/DS
/ Volleyball
OH
/ VolleyballRS
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
S
/ Volleyball
MB
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