Saturday, August 31
Towson, Md.
10:00 AM
Lehigh University
3
vs
0
Saint Francis University
Photo by: Ryan McGettigan
Lehigh Splits With Saint Francis And Towson To Conclude Opening Weekend
8/31/2024 9:39:00 PM | Volleyball
TOWSON, Md. – Lehigh volleyball's trip to the Baltimore area continued on Saturday, as the Mountain Hawks battled the Saint Francis Red Flash and the Towson Tigers at TU Arena in Towson. The Mountain Hawks picked up a three-set win over the Red Flash in match one and dropped a hard-fought five-setter to Towson in match two.
"Overall, this weekend was a great first start to the season," said head coach Alexa Keckler. "I believe we have learned a good bit about where we need to focus and how we can utilize our strengths."
Lehigh first took on Saint Francis on Saturday morning, and the two schools found themselves in a close contest throughout the first set. After the Red Flash began the frame on a 4-0 run, the Mountain Hawks began to close the gap and eventually gained the lead. The back-and-forth affair ended in a 25-23 first set victory for Lehigh.
Set two was once again a close one, as the score was set 22-21 in favor of Lehigh in closing moments. However, the Mountain Hawks ended the frame on a 3-0 run to take a 2-0 lead in the match. After picking up the first two set wins, Lehigh rode this momentum to a 25-22 set three win, which included a 14-3 run, to earn their second win of the season.
Sophomore Alysia Fingall provided a chunk of Lehigh's offense with 13 kills on the morning. Senior Emily Stewart added nine kills while sophomore Jaidyn Garcia provided eight. Setters Makena Smith and Abby Felkai tallied 16 and 13 assists respectively while senior libero Kyleigh Brown recorded nine digs to lead the team.
"We did a great job of controlling the tempo of the game and putting the ball away when we needed against Saint Francis," said Keckler.
Both Towson and Lehigh entered tonight's match undefeated with 2-0 records. The match began in Towson's favor, as the Tigers won set one 25-19. Although the Mountain Hawks tied the score three times in the set, six kills from Towson's Ava Nakai allowed the Tigers to take the opening frame.
The Tigers rode their momentum to a 5-0 start in set two. However, the Mountain Hawks slowly but surely chipped at the Towson advantage throughout the frame. The two teams traded blows throughout set two and tied each other nine separate times. Ultimately, a service error and a Fingall kill allowed Lehigh to steal a 29-27 second set win.
Lehigh got off to a hot start in set three, soaring to 19-10 advantage early on. Towson responded well after the initial Mountain Hawk onslaught, cutting their deficit to five. However, the Mountain Hawks conducted a 5-0 run of their own to secure a dominant 25-10 set three victory.
While set three went in Lehigh's favor, Towson dominated the fourth set from the jump. The Tigers earned a 25-11 win to set up a winner-takes-all fifth set. Although the Mountain Hawks battled, Towson ultimately won the fifth set 15-10 to earn the victory.
"Our team showed great fight against Towson," said Keckler. "They had a fantastic attacking night and we struggled to score in the fourth and fifth sets. Lots to learn, but certainly an exciting future."
Senior Natalie Luscomb led Lehigh with 15 kills after tallying 16 against Morgan State on Friday. Sophomore Alysia Fingall reached double-digit kills for the second time on the day with 14. Senior Makena Smith recorded her second 30+ assist performance of the season with 35 while senior Kyleigh Brown once again led the Mountain Hawks with 18 digs.
"Alysia had a strong weekend, she has the ability to take over a match," said Keckler. "We will keep working to get more and more from her."
The Mountain Hawks will again travel for an away tournament next weekend in Murfreesboro, Tennessee at Middle Tennessee State University. Lehigh will take on the Blue Raiders, Arkansas State and Southeast Missouri State on September 6-7.
Like Lehigh Volleyball on Facebook, follow on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
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"Overall, this weekend was a great first start to the season," said head coach Alexa Keckler. "I believe we have learned a good bit about where we need to focus and how we can utilize our strengths."
Lehigh first took on Saint Francis on Saturday morning, and the two schools found themselves in a close contest throughout the first set. After the Red Flash began the frame on a 4-0 run, the Mountain Hawks began to close the gap and eventually gained the lead. The back-and-forth affair ended in a 25-23 first set victory for Lehigh.
Set two was once again a close one, as the score was set 22-21 in favor of Lehigh in closing moments. However, the Mountain Hawks ended the frame on a 3-0 run to take a 2-0 lead in the match. After picking up the first two set wins, Lehigh rode this momentum to a 25-22 set three win, which included a 14-3 run, to earn their second win of the season.
Sophomore Alysia Fingall provided a chunk of Lehigh's offense with 13 kills on the morning. Senior Emily Stewart added nine kills while sophomore Jaidyn Garcia provided eight. Setters Makena Smith and Abby Felkai tallied 16 and 13 assists respectively while senior libero Kyleigh Brown recorded nine digs to lead the team.
"We did a great job of controlling the tempo of the game and putting the ball away when we needed against Saint Francis," said Keckler.
Both Towson and Lehigh entered tonight's match undefeated with 2-0 records. The match began in Towson's favor, as the Tigers won set one 25-19. Although the Mountain Hawks tied the score three times in the set, six kills from Towson's Ava Nakai allowed the Tigers to take the opening frame.
The Tigers rode their momentum to a 5-0 start in set two. However, the Mountain Hawks slowly but surely chipped at the Towson advantage throughout the frame. The two teams traded blows throughout set two and tied each other nine separate times. Ultimately, a service error and a Fingall kill allowed Lehigh to steal a 29-27 second set win.
Lehigh got off to a hot start in set three, soaring to 19-10 advantage early on. Towson responded well after the initial Mountain Hawk onslaught, cutting their deficit to five. However, the Mountain Hawks conducted a 5-0 run of their own to secure a dominant 25-10 set three victory.
While set three went in Lehigh's favor, Towson dominated the fourth set from the jump. The Tigers earned a 25-11 win to set up a winner-takes-all fifth set. Although the Mountain Hawks battled, Towson ultimately won the fifth set 15-10 to earn the victory.
"Our team showed great fight against Towson," said Keckler. "They had a fantastic attacking night and we struggled to score in the fourth and fifth sets. Lots to learn, but certainly an exciting future."
Senior Natalie Luscomb led Lehigh with 15 kills after tallying 16 against Morgan State on Friday. Sophomore Alysia Fingall reached double-digit kills for the second time on the day with 14. Senior Makena Smith recorded her second 30+ assist performance of the season with 35 while senior Kyleigh Brown once again led the Mountain Hawks with 18 digs.
"Alysia had a strong weekend, she has the ability to take over a match," said Keckler. "We will keep working to get more and more from her."
The Mountain Hawks will again travel for an away tournament next weekend in Murfreesboro, Tennessee at Middle Tennessee State University. Lehigh will take on the Blue Raiders, Arkansas State and Southeast Missouri State on September 6-7.
Like Lehigh Volleyball on Facebook, follow on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
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