Lehigh Drops Five-Setter On The Road At Colgate

HAMILTON, N.Y. – After a weeklong hiatus, Lehigh volleyball returned to the hardwood on Saturday afternoon from Cotterell Court on the campus of Colgate University for a matchup against the league-leading Raiders. The Mountain Hawks took a 2-1 lead after capturing sets two and three but ultimately lost to the Raiders in a competitive five-set affair.

Colgate (14-6, 9-0 PL) picked up a 25-17 win in set one over Lehigh (9-9, 3-6 PL), picking up where they left off after defeating the Mountain Hawks 3-0 on October 11. The Raiders hit .429 in the period and held the Mountain Hawks to a .172 hitting percentage. Lehigh managed to pull within four points late a 21-17, but Colgate responded with four unanswered to win the set.

The Raiders got the upper hand early in set two, leading 10-6. However, the Mountain Hawks slowly but surely cut into the Colgate advantage until eventually taking a 14-13 lead. The two teams went back in forth throughout the latter half of the set, but it was Lehigh who found themselves leading by multiple points late. Leading 22-20, the Mountain Hawks ended the set on a 3-1 run to tie the match at one set apiece.

Lehigh put on a dominant display in the third set, winning by a score of 25-12. The Mountain Hawks held the Raiders to a -.214 hitting percentage while hitting a match-best .250 themselves. Despite trailing 10-9 early on, the Mountain Hawks concluded the frame on a 16-2 run to take a 2-1 lead in the match.

With their backs against the wall, Colgate turned up their level of intensity in the fourth, winning by a score of 25-14 to force a fifth set. The Raiders registered a blistering .500 hitting percentage in the period while holding Lehigh to a match-low .000. Set five was competitive, as Lehigh and Colgate were tied 10-10 with only a few points to go. Despite their best efforts, the Mountain Hawks dropped set five 15-11 to the defending Patriot League champions.

Senior Natalie Luscomb led the way offensively with 12 kills while first-year Mary Massias joined her in double-digits with 11 kills. Junior Alysia Fingall registered nine kills in her first action since September 12. Junior Abby Felkai paced the Mountain Hawks with 21 assists, sophomore Sophia Bond had 16 digs defensively and senior Madison McCartney tallied eight total blocks on the afternoon.

The Raiders were led by Milan Bayless and Tiana Owens with 19 and 16 kills respectively.

The Mountain Hawks return to action on Friday, October 24 at 7 p.m. to take on American University in Washington, D.C.

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