volleyball players huddle during a match
Josh Markowitz
3
Winner Lehigh Lehigh 16-12,8-8 Patriot
2
American Americ 20-9,10-6 Patriot
Winner
Lehigh Lehigh
16-12,8-8 Patriot
3
Final
2
American Americ
20-9,10-6 Patriot
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 5 F
Lehigh Lehigh 25 17 25 23 15 (3)
American Americ 20 25 21 25 10 (2)

Game Recap: Women's Volleyball |

Volleyball Season Ends with a Patriot League Quarterfinal Loss to Lehigh in Five Sets

WASHINGTON - It was a heartbreaking ending to the season for American University volleyball, as the third-seeded Eagles fought to force a fifth set against sixth-seeded Lehigh but came up short in the Patriot League Tournament quarterfinals to the Mountain Hawks, 3-2. 

Notable
  • The service game made the most difference for American, who served up 18 errors to Lehigh's nine. 
  • Play at the net was also stronger for the Mountain Hawks, who finished with a 13-8 advantage in team blocks.
  • Freshman Elise Sterling was outstanding in the final match of her first season with 13 kills on 21 attempts and zero errors, hitting .619.
  • Senior All-PL First Team honoree Lilou Stegeman hit .440 with 12 kills and led the Eagles with seven blocks.
  • Junior Adelina Berisha also posted 12 kills and made it a double-double with 12 digs.
  • Senior Bridget Javitch closed out her career with 16 digs, and freshman Bella Marrero added 11.
  • All-PL First Team selection Esma Sipahi finished her career with a strong match, recording 47 assists, six digs, four kills and a block.
How It Happened
  • American fought back from a 1-0 deficit and a 2-1 deficit in the match, trading sets the entire way with Lehigh.
  • The Mountain Hawks posted 17 kills to AU's 13 in a first set that saw Lehigh take a 12-11 lead and pull away from there to win 25-20.
  • Sterling, Stegeman and Berisha all knocked down four kills with zero errors in a strong second set that was won by the Eagles, 25-17.
  • It was by far AU's best set of the night as the Eagles hit .400 to Lehigh's .152, and limited their service aces to just three while also getting two aces.
  • The third set was tied as late as 18-18 before a 4-1 run by the Mountain Hawks.
  • Lehigh finished with six blocks to AU's one in winning the third set 25-21.
  • The tightest set of the night was the fourth, with 14 ties and six lead changes.
  • After a final tie at 21-21, Sofia Osterdahl put AU in the lead for good, and Stegeman got a kill for both set-point and the set-winner.
  • Lehigh's Megan Schulte posted three straight kills for a 9-6 lead in the fifth set, and AU never recovered.
  • The Eagles fought off one match point on a Hopkins kill, but Lehigh's Ufuoma Omene had the final say for the 15-10 win.
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