By Andrew Arnao

Writer

The women’s volleyball team was officially eliminated from the Patriot League Tournament last weekend, losing 3-0 to both Lehigh and Lafayette. The Bison now have a 3-9 record in the Patriot League.

On Friday, Nov. 4 against Lehigh, the Bison fell in the first set 25-17. The Bison had a brief 6-5 lead in the second set, only to see it dashed by a 10-2 run by Lehigh and an eventual 25-11 loss. They had their best performance of the night in the third set, when late efforts from Anne Ellenberger ’12 and Kat Tauscher ’13 kept the game tied at 22-22, but Lehigh scored three straight points to clinch the sweep.

The Bison had a 0.069 and 0.000 attack percentage in the first two sets respectively, but managed a 0.286 attack percentage during the third set. Kyleigh McAhren ’12 led the offense with five kills, while Tauscher managed 16 assists. Ellenberger also had three blocks to increase her Patriot League-leading total.

The Orange and the Blue played much better against Lafayette on Saturday, but still did not pull out a win. Despite maintaining leads for most the first set, the Bison eventually fell behind and lost 26-24. The second set was close until a 10-1 run by the Leopards gave the Bison a 25-14 loss. In the third set, neither team had more than a three-point lead for the entire duration. The Bison played for set point at 25-24, but they couldn’t capitalize. The two teams trades more blows back and forth until the Leopards eventually won 30-28.

“We struggled this weekend in sticking to our game and playing our game,” Katie Baumgarten ’12 said. “We didn’t play to our greatest potential, but we are working hard this week to finish our season with two wins.”

McAhren had 11 kills for the Orange and the Blue, while Tauscher led the team with 19 assists and Emily Sawanobori ’12 led with nine digs. Overall, the Bison had a 0.086 attack percentage, though they had a 35-32 edge in digs.

The Bison play their last two games on the road against Patriot League rivals Holy Cross and Army. The Orange and the Blue play Holy Cross Friday at 7 p.m. and Army on Saturday at 4 p.m.

“We had a tough weekend at Lehigh and Lafayette, but we are really looking forward to our final week of practice,” Rose Lewis ’14 said. “I think we have the right mindset to go to Holy Cross and Army and end our season on a high note.”