LHU Volleyball opens 2023 season, Haven tops Saint Rose
ALBANY, NY– The Lock Haven volleyball team opened the 2023 season and a new era Saturday with a pair of matches at Saint Rose. The Bald Eagles downed Saint Rose 3-1 in their first match and fell to Assumption University in their final match of the day.
Saturday’s action opened a new era for The Haven program as head coach Mike Kraft made his Bald Eagle debut and he quickly found a win.
Saint Rose Recap (3-1) (21-25, 25-20, 25-17 & 25-17)
Lock Haven (1-1) opened the day vs. host Saint Rose (1-1), downing the Golden Knights 3-1 in four sets.
After falling in its opening set of the season (25-21), the Bald Eagles never looked back, taking the ensuing three on the way to the first-career head coaching victory for Kraft.
The Bald Eagles limited the Golden Knights to just 17 points in the final two sets, while also leading Saint Rose 58-40 in kills.
Kelly Gaston (Centennial, Colo./Grandview) dominated the middle of the court all match, leading the way with 45 assists to go with eight digs.
Madison Eckley (Julian, Pa./Bald Eagle) finished with a match-high 15 digs and Emma Kelly (Cypress, Texas/Cypress Ranch) added 12 to round out the Bald Eagles in double figures.
Emma Kelly (Cypress, Texas/Cypress Ranch) led the offensive attack with 21 kills at a success rate of .333.
Evie Jane Rembold (Lock Haven, Pa./Central Mountain) added 11 kills and Natalie Acevedo (Camuy, Puerto Rico/Paula Freire Social Justice Charter School) finished with 10.
Assumption Recap (1-3) (18-25, 22-25, 25-22 & 20-25)
Lock Haven fell to Assumption 3-1 in four sets for their first loss of the season to conclude the Tri-Match Tournament.
The Haven quickly fell in an 0-2 hole to start the match before rebounding with a 25-22 victory in set three. However, Assumption put the match away in the fourth set by score of 25-20.
Gaston again controlled the scoring opportunities for the Bald Eagles, setting up her teammates 37 times.
Acevedo and Rembold each finished with 10 kills with notable hitter percentages.
Acevedo also led the defense with a team-high 16 digs. Eckley added 13 to round out the Bald Eagles in double figures.
UP NEXT:
The Bald Eagles will travel to Salem next week on Friday, Sept. 8 for a 6 p.m. non-conference match.
