EASTON, Pa. - Lafayette secured its first Patriot League victory of the season, defeating rival Lehigh in three sets on Saturday at Kirby Sports Center. Freshman Jada Aksu recorded 13 kills, leading the Leopard offense. The right side hitter also paced the Maroon and White with five block assists, while senior Abby Nicholson added in four block assists.

The first set began with Lehigh jumping out to an early 11-7 advantage. Aksu swatted down a kill to cut the Mountain Hawk's advantage to three before the visitors took three of the next four points(14-8). The Leopards remained on the prowl, using a kill from Destiny McKenzie to jumpstart a five-point swing in their favor. Three points later, Lafayette recorded a second run of five-straight points, highlighted by a pair of kills from Nicholson to swing a 19-16 lead in its favor. Lehigh knotted the set up at 22 apiece, capitalizing on kills from Madison McCartney and Mary Massias. The Maroon and White relied on kills from three different players (Auma Mbeche-Odhiambo, Carol Ulichney and McKenzie) to finish off the set, capturing a 25-22 win.

The Mountain Hawks rattled off a quick 9-6 advantage to begin set two, relying on back-to-back kills from Ufuoma Omene to create breathing room. An Omene attack error swung momentum in the favor of the Leopards, which they used to begin a six-point stretch. Mbeche-Odhiambo tallied four kills in the run, with her last granting Lafayette a 12-9 advantage. Three of the next four points were taken by Lehigh, bringing the score within one (13-12). The Maroon and White's second spurt of six points built a 19-12 advantage, capped off by a service ace from Sophia Wilson. An 8-2 run from the visitors brought the lead within one yet again (21-20). Down the stretch, errors sunk the Mountain Hawk rally, with two errors allowing the 24th and 25th points of the set in favor of the Maroon and White.

The two teams traded points back-and-forth throughout the final set, with Lehigh collecting a 19-16 advantage near the end of the set. The next seven points went to the Leopards, with kills from Aksu and Mbeche-Odhiambo sprinkled in to exchange the lead for the fifth time. With the score sitting 23-19, Ulichney and Ally Feczko took matters into their own hands, registering kills to wrap up the 3-0 final. In set three, Aksu rang up six kills, while Mbeche-Odhiambo (4) trailed behind.

Lafayette remains home to host Bucknell on Sunday at 4 p.m.


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