On Sept. 11, Sabrina Lancaster became the 11th player in program history to record 1000 kills. While she will leave the program as one of the most decorated players, her goal is to win the Patriot League Championship as she enters her final season on the Lehigh volleyball team.
Lancaster said she plans to finish her master’s degree in molecular biology and may pursue a PhD or enter the pharmaceutical industry.
The shift from undergraduate to graduate school has changed Lancaster’s priorities, volleyball Head Coach Alexa Keckler said.
“I think her priorities this season are a little different,” Keckler said. “I think now it’s a lot about leaving the legacy that she wants behind by instilling the values that we know are important to our program.”
Lancaster said she not only wants to lead her team to wins, but also impact her team by continuing to uphold the standards and expectations of Lehigh’s volleyball program.
“My main thing is trying to help foster the right mentality that our team is trying to pursue,” Lancaster said. “We want to uphold the great values that this program has instilled in me and will instill in many athletes to come.”
Emily Poole, a graduate assistant, was a teammate of Lancaster’s before recently joining the coaching staff.
Poole said their relationship has not changed and that they are working together to improve the technical side of Lancaster’s game.
“I was lucky enough to get two years with her instead of just one since she stayed for a fifth year,” Poole said. “She’s also a captain, so it’s been great to work with her in that aspect as well.”
Keckler said what she hopes to see from Lancaster this season is continued leadership and accountability for her teammates, as well as guidance in regards to management of emotions.
Lancaster said she fell in love with volleyball over the course of her childhood.
“I just kind of joined my first volleyball team because my friends joined and to be honest, it wasn’t my favorite sport at first,” Lancaster said. “But after playing it for a while, I learned to love it and have never looked back.”
Lancaster said the teamwork required for success in volleyball and the camaraderie on and off the court that is built from that teamwork are what attracted her to the sport.
Poole said Lancaster is a teammate who is constantly encouraging others, pushing them to be better and holding people accountable.
“She provides great energy on and off the court for the team,” Poole said.
According to Keckler, Lancaster’s dedication, loyalty, and positive perspective have gotten her as far on the court as they have in her day-to-day life.
Lancaster celebrates her team’s collective achievements and believes them to be highlights of both her athletic and academic careers, Keckler said.
“I love seeing my teammates prosper,” Lancaster said. “I love to uplift them and the volleyball program so we can make a name for ourselves.”
Lancaster’s greatness is not exclusive to her athletic ability. Poole said that Lancaster’s greatest strengths are her positive attitude, leadership abilities, and natural intellect.
Both Poole and Keckler have high hopes for Lancaster’s final season with The Mountain Hawksl and are confident in her leadership abilities winning this season’s Patriot League Championship.
“She exemplifies everything that I think about when I think of a Lehigh student-athlete,” Keckler said.
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