EASTON, Pa. - Lafayette hosted rival Lehigh on Saturday night, dropping a 3-2 final to the Mountain Hawks.Â
Outside hitter Auma Mbeche-Odhiambo racked up a game-high 18 kills. The Houston, Texas native has now recorded double-digit spikes in 12 of the 16 games she's appeared in this season, while reaching at least 15 kills in nine contests. Setters Mackenzie Calhoun and LK LaMonica notched 19 assists each. Freshman Justine Puig added in eight kills and three of the Leopards' six service aces. Led by 24 from libero Alyssa Chu, three different members of the Maroon and White tallied at least 15 digs.
Lafayette gained a 14-9 lead in set one prior to Lehigh recording a four-point run to close the gap (14-13). The Leopards stopped the run immediately after, claiming five of the following six points to push the score to 19-14. Down the stretch, Lafayette pushed its advantage to 23-19 with a kill from Destiny McKenzie. The visitors responded with a spurt of five consecutive scores, flipping the lead, 24-23. Both teams traded scores until Natalie Luscomb recorded back-to-back kills for the lead (28-27). Puig and fellow rookie Johanna Groger came up clutch over the next two points, each slapping down a ball for a spike to recapture a 29-28 lead. An attack error from Luscomb solidified a first set win for the Leopards, 30-28.
The Mountain Hawks knotted the contest at one set apiece with a 25-17 second period victory. Lehigh hit .281 in the stanza, while collecting 14 kills and five attack errors. Mbeche-Odhiambo led the Lafayette offense with three kills. Puig and Calhoun each collected an ace, while LaMonica chipped in with four assists. Defensively, Chu paced the team with five digs.
An eight-point rally in set three helped Lehigh earn a 25-17 win. Four different Mountain Hawks tallied at least two kills, with Olivia Lasee responsible for four spikes. The visitors were also strong defensively at the net, collecting five blocks.
The fourth set witnessed the visitors take a 15-11 advantage into the media timeout. The Leopards answered out of the break, using a four-point stretch to retake the lead (16-15). Lehigh used its own run of four straight scores to regain the lead (20-18). Towards the end of the period, Lehigh held a 24-23 lead. Mbeche-Odhiambo slapped a ball across the net that was originally called an attack error, but a timely challenge by head coach CJ Werneke reversed the call and knotted the score at 24 apiece. Lafayette went on to win 26-24, and forced a decisive fifth set.
The final game was claimed by the visitors, 15-10. Lehigh hit .241 in the stanza, while racking up nine kills. Lafayette tallied five spikes but recorded four attack errors. Lehigh's Luscomb proved to be the difference maker, with three kills and one block assist.
The Leopards are back in action on Sunday at 2 p.m., traveling to Lewisburg, Pa. to match up against the Bucknell Bison.
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