BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Villanova volleyball suffered its first defeat in the last five matches, falling to the Lehigh Mountain Hawks in four sets (23-25, 25-23, 24-26, 20-25) on Wednesday night.
Freshman Abby Harrell led the way for Villanova (7-3) with a double-double of 18 kills and 14 digs, while Andrea Campos contributed a double-double of her own at a match-high 43 assists and career-high 17 digs.
Skylar Gerhardt (13 kills), Kiera Booth (11 kills) and Riley Homer (nine kills) each had strong attacking days for the Wildcats, while Elizabeth Feczko contributed a match-high 21 digs and Taryn Whittingham added 19 ups.
After Lehigh took the first two points of the match, the next part of the first set was all Villanova, using an 8-2 run to jump ahead and maintaining that edge for a 15-11 lead at the media timeout. After a Mountain Hawk timeout at 17-12, the Wildcat advantage evaporated as it became a tie game at 22-all and Lehigh continued to a 25-20 win.
The home side grabbed an early edge in the second stanza, leading 15-12 at the break. But Villanova used a 7-1 run with tough serving from Gerhardt and three points by Booth on two kills and a block to claim a four-point lead. Lehigh brought it back within one multiple times, but after a long rally at set point, the 'Cats evened up the match at one set apiece.
It was a back-and-forth battle in the third period, with the two squads exchanging runs before VU took a 15-14 advantage into the media break. Villanova proceeded to lead 19-16 but a 7-1 stretch for Lehigh created some distance, and despite the Wildcats tying it late, the Mountain Hawks won 26-24.
Another game of runs took place in the fourth, with Villanova leading 14-12 before Lehigh utilized a 6-0 string to establish the biggest lead of the frame. The Mountain Hawks didn't look back from there, continuing to a 25-20 win and four-set victory in the match.
UP NEXT: The 'Cats will now gear up for the Villanova Classic, preparing to host Sacred Heart, Saint Francis and Temple at Jake Nevin Field House this weekend. VU will square off at 7 p.m. against SHU on Friday night and the Red Flash on Saturday, while neutral site matches will take place between the Owls and those two schools at 4:30 on each day.
