WASHINGTON – After pushing first-place Colgate to five sets last Saturday, Lehigh volleyball returned to Patriot League play on Friday evening on the road against the American Eagles. The Mountain Hawks played a five-setter for the second match in a row, falling the second-place Eagles 3-2.
Lehigh (9-10, 3-7 PL) and American (16-4, 9-1 PL) were locked into a closely-contested first set; neither team was able to gain more than a four-point advantage. Despite the neck and neck set, Lehigh managed to hold a lead for nearly the entire way until the Eagles tied the contest 22-22. The two teams continued to trade points past the 25th, eventually resulting in a 27-25 win for Lehigh.
The Eagles managed to tie the contest 1-1 after winning set two 25-22, another very close set. The third set provided more of the same with both teams trading points until the Eagles led 13-12 towards the midway point. From there, American went on a 7-3 run to help put them in striking distance at 20-15. However, Lehigh rallied back to tie the set at 23 apiece. An Elise Sterling kill and Salme Adeele Hollas ace pushed American past Lehigh to take 2-1 lead in the match.
Needing a win to extend the match, the Mountain Hawks showed up in the fourth set, hitting a match-high .433 in the frame. Lehigh trailed 20-17 late in the period, but the Mountain Hawks rallied and concluded the set on an 8-2 run to force a fifth and final set. In the fifth set, Lehigh gained a 3-1 advantage that prompted an American timeout. Following the timeout, the Eagles defense took center stage, holding Lehigh to a .048 hitting percentage on route to a 15-9 fifth set win.
Senior Natalie Luscomb was outstanding, registering a match-high 19 kills. First-year Mary Massias and junior Alysia Fingall joined her in double-digits with 14 and 11 kills respectively. Junior Abby Felkai reached 30+ assists for the sixth time this season with 34. Sophomore Sophia Bond paced the Mountain Hawks defensively with 21 digs.
Deniz Dakak commanded the American offense with a match-high 59 assists. Prinzez Zeck and Sophie Dufour led the Eagles offensively with 18 kills each.
The Mountain Hawks are back on the road on Saturday, October 25 at 7:30 p.m. against Navy in Annapolis, Maryland.
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