STATS (
LAFAYETTE |
LEHIGH )
BETHLEHEM, Pa. - The Morehead State volleyball team closed out the Crosstown Challenge today by falling to Lafayette in five sets and then to Lehigh in four. They fell 25-17 (LAF), 25-20 (LAF), 25-18 (MSU), 25-23 (MSU), 15-10 (LAF) to Lafayette and then lost to Lehigh 25-22 (LEH), 25-16 (MSU), 25-22 (LEH), 25-21 (LEH).
In the loss to Lafayette, a match that started at 10 a.m., they fell behind 2-0 before getting off the mat to force a fifth set. They jumped out to early leads in both the third and the fourth sets, cruising to a 25-18 win in the third and then holding on to a 25-23 win in the fourth. But, playing their second five-set match in a span of around 14 hours would prove too much as the Eagles ran out of gas, falling 15-10.
Against the eventual Crosstown Challenge Champion Lehigh, Morehead State battled, but they were unable to force their third straight five-set match. The opening set was knotted at 19 before Lehigh reeled off four straight points and eventually took the set, 25-22. The Eagles then cruised to a 25-16 win the second, but struggled late in both the third and the fourth sets, before falling 3-1.
Freshman Merideth Jewell continued to shine for MSU as she was named to the Crosstown Challenge All-Tournament Team. In the opener against Lafayette, she led the team with 18 kills and then followed that with 25 versus Lehigh. In the four-game event, she finished with an impressive 88 kills.
Junior Sydney Schuler had a strong performance against Lafayette, finishing with 16 kills, while hitting .333. Senior Hannah Sigala impressed against Lehigh as she had 15 kills and hit .542. Junior Bailey Nichol continued to set up the Morehead State big hitters as she recorded 88 assists in the two matches. She also had eight kills in the loss to Lafayette.
The Eagles travel to Pullman, Wash. next weekend to face Washington State, Utah Valley, and Ball State in the Cougar Challenge.
