The season came to an end for the Lehigh volleyball team with no championship in sight.
The Mountain Hawks fell short in a must-win match against Holy Cross on Saturday night in Worcester, Massachusetts. The loss concedes Lehigh’s postseason spot to Navy, which was tied for fourth in the Patriot League going into the last two matches of the season.
Despite a 3-1 loss to Army on Friday, Lehigh’s Patriot League Tournament hopes were still alive heading into Saturday’s game against Holy Cross. A Lehigh (13-17, 8-8 Patriot) win along with a Navy loss would’ve still granted it a postseason berth.
Holy Cross swept Lehigh 3-0, meaning Navy will now move on to the Patriot League Tournament.
Earlier in the season, Lehigh swept Holy Cross yet was unable to spark any sort of similar offensive play on Saturday night. Its attack continued to be fueled by freshman Ana Spangenberg, who had 12 kills for game. However, Lehigh couldn’t find an answer to Mandy Sifferlen of Holy Cross, the Patriot League leader in kills. She finished with a game-high 24 kills.
Lehigh proved competitive for the first two sets, falling short by just two point in both. Sophomore Megan Polak led all players in assists with 32, while junior Stephanie Stieber kept the Mountain Hawks close with a defensive effort of 15 digs, also a game high.
Holy Cross closed out the series with a score of 25-18 in the final set, riding a late run of seven unanswered points to victory. At the end of the night, Holy Cross had outperformed Lehigh all across the score sheet, leading 6-4 in blocks, 3-1 in aces and 58-57 in digs. The Crusaders also finished with a higher hitting percentage of .268 compared to .135 from Lehigh.
The losses to both Army and Holy Cross effectively crush any hopes of moving on to the postseason for Lehigh, and it will finish in fifth place in the Patriot League. Though seniors Katie Jennison and Mariah Brantley will be departing from Lehigh, the team’s roster will remain relatively young, with most key players returning next season.
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