LEWISBURG, Pa. -- Bucknell improved its record to 18-1 in its last 19 matches with a 3-0 victory over the Navy volleyball team, Friday night at Davis Gym in Lewisburg, Pa.  The Bison (18-2, 10-1) defeated the Mids (4-17, 4-8), 27-25, 25-20, 25-19.

"We knew Bucknell would be very tough to score upon as they rank second in the country in defensive hitting percentage (.119)," said Navy head coach Paco Labrador.  "They put their defense on display tonight.  We put up a heck of a fight against the top team in our league.  Our serve receive was dialed in and gave us a shot to win the match."

Set One
The opening frame featured a number of extended runs by each team.  Navy took several four point leads, with the last one coming at 13-9.   Bucknell answered with a 6-0 run to take a 15-13 advantage.  It soon would be an 18-15 lead for the Bison until the Mids went on a 5-0 run to regain a 20-18 lead.

Navy then held a 23-20 lead when Buckell went on a 4-0 run to reach set point with a 24-23 lead.  The Mids fought off set points against them at 24-23 and 25-24 before an attack error gave the Bison the set.

Set Two
Bucknell raced out to a 6-1 lead only to see Navy battle back to within one point at 7-6 and tie the score at 9-9.  The Bison took several leads of one and two points until a 7-0 run gave them a 22-14 cushion.

Navy finished the set with more kills than Bucknell (12-10) and finished two points better at the service line (one ace, one error for Navy; two service errors for Bucknell), but the Mids tallied 12 attack errors to hit .000 and the Bison committed only four attack errors to hit .219.

Set Three
Bucknell couldn't fully separate from Navy until late in the frame.  The Bison used a 4-0 run to take a 14-9 lead in the middle of the set, but the Mids closed to within two points at 16-14, 17-15 and 18-16.  Bucknell scored back-to-back points to regain a four-point advantage at 20-16 which was enough of a cushion to close out the set and the match.

Inside the Numbers
The difference in hitting errors was the key statistic in the match as Navy had 30 and the Bison had 17.  The was in contrast to the slim +5 kill margin held by the Bison (40-35).  

The Bison limited the Mids to a .038 percentage this evening to improve upon their season allowance.

"We focused on blocking this week in practice and we made some nice moves early in the match," said Labrador.  "Our defensive plan was solid and we executed it well (Bucknell hit just .193).  Credit Bucknell for limiting our ability to turn our digs into kills."

The Mids finished +2 at the service line (5 aces, 3 errors), which was six points better than Bucknell's -4 effort (2 aces, 6 errors).

Anuhea Hauanio-Lore just missed a double-double for the Mids as she totaled nine kills (one shy of tying her career high) and 15 digs (tied her career high).  Also, Julia Humphrey added five kills, a .556 hitting percentage and two blocks.  

"Julia continues to be a huge threat for us," said Labrador.  "As we continue to build our passing game, all of our hitters will benefit from the attention Julia receives."

Up Next
Navy remains in the Keystone State overnight for a 4 p.m. match Saturday at Lehigh.