WORCESTER, Mass.  – The Holy Cross volleyball team suffered a 3-1 loss to Patriot League opponent Lehigh during Senior Day Saturday afternoon in the 2022 home finale at Blaney Gymnasium.

The setback sends the Crusaders to 3-21 overall and 1-12 in league play while the Mountain Hawks move to 13-12, 4-9 PL.

Before the game, the Crusaders held their Senior Day ceremonies honoring Gracyn Benck, Peyton Dewers and Emma VanSeveren.
 

We ?? our seniors! #GoCrossGo pic.twitter.com/74JdWCTDui
— Holy Cross Volleyball (@HCrossVB) October 29, 2022
 

 
SET SCORES:

• Mountain Hawks 3, Crusaders 1 (25-18, 19-25, 27-29, 15-25)

 
HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Three aces by Emma VanSeveren in a 7-2 Crusader stretch pushed them ahead early. Makena Smith dropped the margin to two, 8-6 via a kill. Three straight attack errors with a sophomore Mia Hofacker and Rian Millership block increased the score to 15-7. Lehigh slowly crawled back coming within five, however Holy Cross got kills from Dewers and Hofacker to win the set.
• The teams swapped points in the second set until back-to-back kills from Madison McCartney and Megan Schulte increased the Mountain Hawk edge to four, 15-11. The margin improved to eight as the Crusaders kept attacking using mashes by sophomore Abbie Lane and Benck to pull within three. Lehigh tied the match 1-1 capturing the set 25-19.
• Set number three was deadlocked 19-19 in the late stages. Four straight by Holy Cross gave them a 23-19 lead when senior Halle Carter set up Lane and Benck for kills. Five consecutive markers put Lehigh on the brink of set victory, but Smith committed a service error. A freshman Rachel Johnson kill gave Holy Cross a 27-26 advantage, but the guests tallied the final three points to take the set.
• Lehigh pulled away late in the fourth set to lead by seven 18-11. Junior Sanaea Simmons placed and ace to bring the squad within six, 21-15. The Mountain Hawks won the set 25-15 and the match.

OUTSIDE THE BOX:

• Abbie Lane double-doubled for the second consecutive contest and for the fifth time this year. She had a match-high 11 kills to go with 11 digs.
• Lane has tallied double-digit digs in eight of her last 10 matches.
• Gracyn Benck had nine kills in the contest. The senior has 715 career kills and needs eight more kills to pass former teammate Clare Honan (722) for 10th all-time in program history.
• Emma VanSeveren recorded four aces in back-to-back games and for the third time this year.

UP NEXT:

• Holy Cross embarks on a three-game road trip starting next Friday, November 4 at Colgate with first serve set for 6 p.m.

 
FOLLOW THE CRUSADERS 
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