BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Lehigh secured a 3-0 (27-25, 25-22, 25-11) victory over Lafayette on Friday to split the season series. Outside hitter Auma Mbeche-Odhiambo recorded 10 kills in the match, pacing the Maroon and White's offense.

The Mountain Hawks gained an early 10-1 advantage in set one. Lafayette slowly chipped away at the deficit with a four-point run (15-12). Another spurt of four points swung a 19-18 lead in favor of the Leopards, with Sophia Wilson and Jada Aksu tallying a service ace and a kill, respectively. Emily Gouldrup and Carol Ulichney recorded back-to-back points down the stretch, pushing the Maroon and White to 24-20. Lehigh answered with kills from three different players (Jaidyn Garcia, Natalie Luscomb and McCartney), knotting the score at 24 apiece. Aksu notched her second kill of the set prior to the hosts capturing a 27-25 final and a 1-0 set lead.

Lehigh's offense ignited in the second set. Lehigh used six consecutive points to distance itself from the Leopards (18-11). The Maroon and White responded quickly, capturing five straight points to cut into the lead, 18-15. Three of Lafayette's five points came via blocks. Aksu and senior Abby Nicholson netted a solo block and a block assist. In the match, the Leopards notched eight blocks, including five in set two. McCartney and Ufuoma Omene put the set away with one kill each for a second set win, 25-22.

The Mountain Hawks used stretches of six and five points to capture the third set, 25-11. In the contest, Ulichney followed Mbeche-Odhiambo with seven kills. Mackenize Calhoun's 10 assists led the team. Gouldrup added 11 digs and now has tallied 369 on the season.

Lafayette travels to Bucknell on Saturday for a 5 p.m. matchup with the Bison.


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

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