EASTON, Pa. – The Lafayette volleyball team swept Holy Cross (25-21, 25-18, 25-18) to grab its first Patriot League victory of the season.

Lafayette found a 7-3 lead to begin the first set that featured kills by junior middle blocker Abby Nicholson and sophomore outside hitter Emma Patmon. Holy Cross crawled back to only trailing by three points (10-7), but then the Leopards really found their rhythm with a 6-2 scoring spurt. Junior middle blocker Hannah Ehrich-Pollock had some big kills down the stretch and freshman outside hitter Destiny McKenzie finished the set with her second kill, 25-21.

The highlight of the second set was the serving game. Lafayette tallied five more aces (5-0) than Holy Cross in the second period, which really aided the Leopards to taking the second set, 25-18. Sophomore Anna Van Wyk (2), freshman Mackenzie Calhoun (1), junior Elizabeth Flynn (1) and Patmon (1) all recorded aces in the period. The Maroon and White also limited their attack errors (5-10), while hitting .086 compared to the Crusaders' -0.28.

The final set of action was a block party for Lafayette. Ehrich-Pollock and junior Carol Ulichney both recorded three block assists in the third period and Nicholson and Nieporte added two each. The Leopards led 21-17 prior to a Nieporte kill, a Flynn ace and a pair of Crusaders' errors, which lifted Lafayette to its first conference win of the season.

Setters Van Wyk (14) and Calhoun (7) combined for 21 assists on the day. Sophomore libero Emily Gouldrup (11) and Patmon (13) did great work on the defensive end totaling 24 digs between them.
Lafayette returns to the court at 7 p.m. next Friday as it travels across town to face Archrival Lehigh.

 

To keep up with the Lafayette volleyball team, follow its social media pages.

X/@LafColVBall | Instagram/@lafayette_vb | Facebook/GoLeopards