BALTIMORE – Ann Ernst helped Loyola University Maryland close out the fourth set with her 1,000^th career kill, forcing a fifth frame, but Lehigh University jumped out to an early five-point lead in the fifth to pull away for a 25-16, 19-25, 25-22, 19-25, 15-12 Patriot League victory in Reitz Arena on Saturday afternoon.
 
Ernst kill to make it 23-19 in the fourth gave her 1,000 through less than three full years at Loyola (11-12 overall, 6-4 Patriot League). She finished Saturday with a match-high 17 kills, pairing that with three total blocks and 19 digs.
 
Lehigh (17-5, 6-4) scored four-straight points after Loyola had the opening tally. An Allison Garrett service ace made it 4-1 Mountain Hawks, forcing a Loyola timeout. Abby Hamilton sided out with a kill, but Lehigh would stretch its advantage to five, 8-3, on a Hannah Wright ace.
 
Loyola got back within two, 8-6, after an Ernst kill and two Lehigh attack errors, but the Mountain Hawks turned it back into a four-point margin with an Emily Poole-Alina Lam block. Ernst had another kill, but Pool sided out for Lehigh with a kill to make it 11-7.
 
Sabrina Lancaster put away a kill for Lehigh to give the Mountain Hawks a five-point lead and match-point, 14-9. Two Lehigh attack errors wrapped around an Ernst kill, and Loyola was within two, 14-12, before Lauren Bright sided out with a kill to end the match.
 
Haley Puddy had a season-high 16 kills for the Greyhounds, while Hamilton added 14 to go with 14 digs. Molly Werts pushed out 33 assists to go with 12 digs, while Alex Fisher had 18 and 17. Katie Forsythe led all players with 37 digs for the Greyhounds.
 
Lehigh opened up the match with a set-one win, putting away seven blocks to hold Loyola to a -.093 hitting percentage.
 
The Greyhounds, however, responded in the second set as Molly Jarvis had three of her five kills to help Loyola hit .324 and even the match at 1-1.
 
Lehigh built a 15-7 lead midway through the third set after a Wright kill, and a Jess Donaldson back-row kill made it 18-9 moments later. The Greyhounds, however, slowly chipped away, scoring 12 of the next 15 points to get within one, 22-21 after Jarvis teamed with Cat Vaccaro and Ernst for blocks on back-to-back points.
 
Wright sided out for the Mountain Hawks to make it 23-21, although Ernst drew Loyola back within a point with a kill of her own. Poole had a kill for sideout to give Lehigh set-point, but Wright served an ace to close out the third.
 
In the fourth, a Loyola attack error tied the score at 10-10, but three-straight points for Loyola – two on Ernst kills – gave Loyola a three-point advantage.
 
The Greyhounds had the lead for the rest of the set, despite Lehigh closing to within one on two occasions. Ernst had four kills in the final six points of the set, including her 1,000^th, to help the Greyhounds pull away and force the fifth set.
 
Poole led three Lehigh hitters in double-figures with 12 kills, while Wright had 11 and Julia Pressly added 10.
 
Loyola continues its eight-match homestand on Saturday, October 27, when it hosts Patriot League-leading American University at 7 p.m. in Reitz Arena.