Tuesday, September 8
7 p.m.
Lehigh University
5-3
0
vs
3
Villanova
4-3
1
2
3
F
Villanova
25
25
25
3
Lehigh
23
21
22
0
Mountain Hawks fall in straight sets to Villanova
9/8/2015 8:54:00 PM | Volleyball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Lehigh volleyball team lost a hard-fought 3-0 match (25-23, 25-21, 25-22) to Villanova Tuesday night inside Leeman-Turner Arena. The loss snapped the Mountain Hawks' four-match win streak as Lehigh falls to 5-3 overall and Villanova improves to 4-3.
"It was a very disappointing match for us," said head coach Bob Bertucci. "We didn't execute nearly as well as we needed to or as well as we could have. There were just too many opportunities that we didn't capitalize on and we have to get better at seizing those opportunities, especially when the games are very close."
Senior Leah Turner led Lehigh with 13 kills, while classmate Stephanie Slater followed with seven. Senior Amy Matula dished a team-best 25 assists, while junior Mariah Brantley registered a team-high 11 digs and freshman Emily Develle followed with ten.
The Mountain Hawks tallied the first two points of the opening set before the score was tied at every point until its read 7-7. A pair of kills from Villanova's Gabby Pethokoukis gave the Wildcats a two point lead and Villanova held onto a one or two point lead until Lehigh rallied from a 18-15 deficit to tie the set at 18. Villanova returned the favor with three straight points of its own to jump ahead 21-18 and force a Mountain Hawk timeout. Lehigh trailed 23-20 a few points later, but a kill from junior Katie Jennison was followed by a pair of blocks to knot the score at 23 as the Wildcats called timeout. A Claire Crutchfield kill and Makenzie Northrup service ace gave Villanova the final two points it would need out of the timeout as the Wildcats claimed a 25-23 set one and 1-0 match advantage.
The second set started much like the first as the teams were knotted at eight. The Wildcats then erupted on a 9-3 run to take a 17-11 lead. Lehigh answered with a 6-3 run with the help of three kills from Turner to pull within three at 20-17. Villanova then rattled off four straight points to set up set point at 24-17, but Lehigh wouldn't go quietly as the Mountain Hawks put four more points on the board before a kill from Villanova's Darcy Wolf secured a 25-21 set two win and 2-0 match advantage.
The third set opened in a 7-7 tie before a 10-3 Villanova streak gave the Wildcats a 17-10 edge and forced a Lehigh timeout. The Mountain Hawks answered with five straight points out of the break thanks to kills from Jennison, senior Ana Vrhel and sophomore Whitney Krantz as Lehigh pulled within two at 17-15. A Matula kill and Vrhel service ace eventually knotted the score at 20 before a kill from Turner put Lehigh ahead 21-20. Villanova then closed the set on a 5-1 run to complete the straight-set win with a 25-22 set three victory.
The Mountain Hawks return to action Friday and Saturday when Lehigh heads to the Art Carmichael Invite to face host Rhode Island, Sacred Heart and Canisius. Lehigh opens action at 11 a.m. Friday against Sacred Heart.
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Team Stats
VU
LEHIGH
Kills
45
41
Errors
18
22
Attempts
126
134
Hitting %
.214
.142
Points
53.0
49.0
Assists
42
38
Aces
3
1
Blocks
5.0
7.0
Game Leaders
Kills
13
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Players Mentioned
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