BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Lehigh volleyball played its final match inside Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall of the season on Saturday afternoon against the Holy Cross Crusaders on Senior Day. The Mountain Hawks swept the Crusaders 3-0, punching their ticket to the Patriot League tournament in the process.
Following the win, seniors Drew Brown, Arden Below and Madison McCartney were honored in a special ceremony for their contributions to Lehigh volleyball over the past four years. Classmate Natalie Luscomb’s recognition will be deferred to next year, as she will return for a fifth-year next season.
Lehigh (12-12, 6-9 PL) has now secured a spot in the postseason for the second consecutive year. The Mountain Hawks will play in the first round of the Patriot League tournament on Tuesday, November 18.
The Mountain Hawks hit the ball very effectively in set one, registering a match-high .379 hitting percentage in the frame. Despite hitting at a lower percentage, Holy Cross (8-23, 2-13 PL) kept themselves in the set, holding multiple leads while keeping pace with Lehigh. The Mountain Hawks managed to create some distance with a four-point advantage at 18-14 and kept their lead on route to a 25-19 set one win.
Lehigh opened set two on a 5-1 run, but Holy Cross responded with a 6-1 run of their own to take an early 7-6 lead. The two teams went back and forth until a 5-0 run allowed the Mountain Hawks to lead 20-14. The Crusaders would cut the lead to four, but Lehigh closed out another 25-19 win to take a 2-0 set lead.
After two competitive sets in the first and second, the Mountain Hawks turned up their level of intensity in the third. Leading 6-5, Lehigh went on to outscore Holy Cross 15-4 to take a commanding 21-9 lead. With help from a Below kill and Brown service ace, the Mountain Hawks closed out the match with a 25-11 third set win on Senior Day.
Luscomb dominated offensively with 15 kills on a .423 hitting percentage. Junior Alysia Fingall was also effective with 11 kills on a .429 hitting percentage. Junior Abby Felkai delivered 20 assists and junior Olivia Lasee led defensively with six total blocks.
The Crusaders were led by Taliah Lee and Emma Sorensen, each posting nine kills.
The Mountain Hawks will wrap up the regular season on Saturday, November 15 at 4 p.m. against Loyola Maryland in Baltimore.
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