WORCESTER, Mass. - The Leopards ventured to Holy Cross on Friday night and dropped a 3-0 final to the Crusaders.Â
Justine Puig contributed on both ends of the court, providing a double-double (10 kills, 11 assists). Joining Puig with 10 spikes was Noa Kamphuis, who hit .368 during the contest. Defensively, three Leopards tallied 11 digs (Puig, Alyssa Chu and Destiny McKenzie). Four members of the Maroon and White notched at least two block assists, while Puig added a solo block.
The hosts used two separate stretches of five straight scores to take set one, 25-15. The Crusaders racked up 17 kills, with Emma Sorenson and Kat Teepe contributing four spikes each.. For Lafayette, Kamphuis and Johanna Groger added two kills apiece. LK LaMonica was responsible for three assists and was one of four players to notch an assist.
Set two was captured by Holy Cross, 25-18, behind a .244 hitting percentage and 16 kills. Five different Crusaders collected at least two kills, with Teepe (4) and Lacey Murphy (4) leading the charge. Puig (4) and Kamphuis (4) powered the Lafayette attack, combining for eight of the squad's 11 kills in the stanza. On the defensive side of the net, the Leopards collected 21 digs, with McKenzie's six pacing the team.
The first 30 points of the third and final period were split evenly, 15-15. The two teams traded scores throughout the set, finding themselves deadlocked at 19. After Holy Cross' Kyla Harris slapped down a ball for a kill, Puig and Groger answered to take a 21-20 advantage. The Crusaders countered, taking five of the following six scores to win the set, 25-22, and sweep the match.
Lafayette returns to the court on Sunday at 1 p.m., hosting Army. The Leopards' final contest of the regular season against Colgate will be played at 7 p.m.
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