WORCESTER, Mass. – The Lafayette volleyball team fell to the Holy Cross Crusaders on Sunday afternoon in Worcester, three sets to one, opening up the 2021 spring season 0-2.
 
The Leopards were led by junior Leanna Deegan who totaled a team-high 16 kills and 39 total attacks. Junior Madi Wahrmund totaled a season-high eight kills and freshman Gracie Gibson recorded a career-high six blocks, one assist, two digs and added six kills to her stat line in her second collegiate game.
 
Deegan got the Leopards (0-2) on the board first with a kill off an assist from freshman Alyssa Vitale. From there the two sides traded points until the set was tied up at four points each. The Crusaders (2-0) then went on a three-point rally to push the lead out to 7-5 before the scoring run was stopped by a kill from senior Jenna Bailey.
 
The Leopards hung on, almost going point-for-point with the Crusaders until a five-point rally put the score at 18-8, in favor of Holy Cross. The Leopards responded later with a four-point rally of their own to bring the score within six, 19-13.
 
With the score 24-18 and the Crusaders with the set point, the Leopards added two points to bring the score within four. But an attack error by the Leopards gave the Crusaders the 25-20 set one win.
 
Holy Cross opened up the second set with a 2-0 lead before a kill by Wahrmund and an error by the Crusaders tied up the set. Both sides traded kills to make it 3-3 before a service error by the Leopards gave Holy Cross the 4-3 lead. The two sides went back-and-forth with the lead until an attack error by the Crusaders and then two more points by the Leopards put the Maroon and White out in front 17-14.
 
Later in the set with the score 21-19 in favor of the Leopards, the Crusaders scored two quick points to put themselves ahead 22-21. Wahrmund recorded a kill and the Leopards went back out on top 23-21. The two sides found themselves knotted up again at 24-24 but it was a kill from Deegan, off an assist from Vital, and an attack error by the Crusaders that gave the Leopards the 26-24 second set victory and send the match into the third set tied up at one set each.  
 
With the third set tied 3-3, Deegan recorded another kill to spark a four-point run for the Leopards putting them up 7-3. She added another kill, along with one from sophomore Grace Steurer for the Leopards to go up 10-5.
 
The Crusaders then went on an 11-2 scoring run to bring the score to put themselves on top, 16-12. Back-to-back kills by Wahrmund and Deegan brought the Leopards within two, 16-14, and the two sides went back-and-forth until the Crusaders embarked on a three-point run to bring the score to 21-16.
 
Two kills by junior Grace Tulevech and an attack error by Holy Cross added three more to the Leopards third set total but the Crusaders hung on, 25-20, to go hold a one set advantage heading into the fourth set.
 
The Leopards went down early, 6-2, in the fourth set but tied it up on a four point run sparked by a kill from senior Audrey Mangum. The Leopards eventually took a 10-9 lead but a six-point run by the Crusaders put Holy Cross back at in front, 16-10.
 
The Leopards tried to make a late set push, going on a four-point rally to bring the score to 17-13, but the Crusaders countered to take a 23-15 lead. From there, they never looked back and won the fourth set 25-16 and the match 3-1.
 
Lafayette turns its attention to this coming weekend as they are set for a home-and-home series with crosstown rival Lehigh. The Leopards will welcome the Mountain Hawks to Easton on Friday at 7 p.m. and will travel to Bethlehem on Sunday for a 4 p.m. match.