Bucknell University
Lehigh
Bucknell Volleyball Slips 3-0 to Lehigh at Davis Gym
10/1/2011 8:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Oct. 1, 2011
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LEWISBURG, Pa. - A day after one of its strongest outings of the year, Bucknell volleyball struggled to keep the magic going and took a 3-0 loss to Lehigh at Davis Gym on Saturday night. The Mountain Hawks put forth a steady attack throughout the match, earning a 25-19, 25-19, 25-20 decision that dropped the Bison's record to 4-9 overall and 1-3 in the Patriot League.
Bucknell made the first set closer than the score indicated. The two teams were neck-and-neck through much of play, and Jessica Serrato (Millbrae, Calif./St. Ignatius College Prep) tied the frame at 16-16 with a kill. A consistent Lehigh squad (10-7, 2-2 PL) came through in the end, however, taking nine of the final 12 points to give them the early set lead.
Lehigh finished the opening set with a .212 attack percentage, and it would stay within that range for the rest of the match, hitting .211 in the second set and .229 in the third. Bucknell's production began to drop after the first set, however. Serrato had five kills in the initial game but then totaled just one in each of the next two. As a team, Bucknell hit .171 in the first, followed by .057 and .120.
Despite having the stronger offense, Lehigh again allowed Bucknell to hang around in the second game, which followed much the same path as the first. Anne Ellenberger (Phoenix, Ariz./Horizon Honors) and Kyleigh McAhren (Napa, Calif./Justin-Siena) teamed up for a block to tie the contest at 14 all. An 11-5 run for the Mountain Hawks in the end sealed the deal.
With the win in sight, Lehigh moved comfortably through the third set. The Mountain Hawks' lead hovered around five points much of the time. Bucknell did put together a push down the final stretch that included a kill from Kristen Titley (Coral Gables, Fla./Palmer Trinity School) at 22-19. Lehigh's blocking game kept them in front, however, as the Patriot League's leading blocker Amanda Clark rejected two of Bucknell's attacks in the final few points. The Bison saved one match point, but ran out of time before Paige Kruse closed it out with her sixth and final kill of the night.
Serrato led the Bison with seven kills, followed by Katie Baumgarten (South Pasadena, Calif./South Pasadena) with six. Kat Tauscher (Washington, D.C./National Cathedral School) chipped in 22 assists. Defensively, Bucknell called on Emily Sawanobori (Warren, N.J./Watchung Hills) at libero for 16 digs, and Ellenberger posted three total blocks.
Taylor Poole led all palyers with nine kills, and Jessica Kudirka finished with 31 assists.
Bucknell is back in action on Oct. 8 when it travels to Colgate. Match time at Hamilton, N.Y., is set for 4 p.m.
