BETHLEHEM, PA – The Rider University volleyball team won the opening two sets Saturday afternoon, but ultimately fell to Lehigh 3-2. The Broncs fall to 1-5 on the season, while the Mountain Hawks improve to 5-1.
 
Rider fell behind early in the first, trailing 14-9. The Broncs stormed back with an 8-2 run to take a 17-16 lead. Tied 18-18, Rider scored seven of the final nine points to take the opener 25-20.
 
The Broncs carried the momentum into the second, helped by two kills each from Carley McAleavey (Smithtown, NY/Smithtown West) and Christina Blount (Liberty Township, OH/Lakota East). The Mountain Hawks fought back, getting within one point at 22-21, but McAleavey served out the match, including an ace to put Rider up 2-0.
 
Lehigh fired back in the third, jumping out to a 13-5 lead. The Mountain Hawks took the third 25-10. Trailing 9-5 in the fourth, Keegan O'Connor (Weatherford, TX/Weatherford) served four-straight points to tie the match. Lehigh responded with five-straight points and went on to take the set 25-17.
 
In the fifth, Rider fell behind early, 8-4. Blount answered with back-to-back blocks for the Broncs as Rider came back to tie the deciding set at 10-10. Tied 12-12, Lehigh scored the match's final three points to come away with the victory.

QUOTES & NOTES
"We played well for one and a half sets and started to let the momentum shift midway through set two. Even though we pulled that set out, we never regained the momentum after that."
 
"Not much good I can say about the match. When a team has 30 block assists against you, that's a tell-tale sign that our hitters are not doing their job. We need people that want to be on the floor, and want the ball by demanding it with their voice and their energy." – Head Coach Jeff Rotondo
 
- Lehigh extends its lead in the all-time series to 24-10.
- Julia Slivka (Adamstown, MD/Tuscarora) had her second-straight double-double with 23 assists and 12 digs.
- Pamela Loh (Cortlandt Manor, NY/Hendrick Hudson) and Brynn Johnson (River Falls, WI/River Falls) each earned All-Tournament honors.

BRONCS BY THE NUMBERS
- The Broncs hit .044 in the match, to Lehigh's .177.
- Lehigh had 47 kills to 39 for the Broncs.
- The Mountain Hawks held a 17-6 advantage in the match in blocks.
- Morgan Romano (Oviedo, FL/Hagerty) led Rider with 13 kills. Blount added eight and McAleavey had seven.
- Slivka's 12 dig led the team. Jenna Amaro (Davie, FL/Archbishop McCarthy) and Loh each chipped in 11.

UP NEXT
Rider visits both Georgetown and George Washington as part of a tournament on Friday.