HAMILTON, N.Y. (10/26/2007)—The Colgate University volleyball team got double-digit kills from four different players to push its Patriot League win streak to six matches with a 3-1 victory over Bucknell this evening on Cotterell Court. Junior Katrina Zawojski (Palo Alto, Calif.) led all players with 19 kills in the 30-32, 30-21, 30-25, 30-18 victory.

 

The Raiders improve to 14-10 overall and 9-1 in Patriot League play, while Bucknell falls to 11-14 and 4-6 in conference action. Colgate’s 9-1 league mark is the best since the Raiders were 9-1 in 1999, while their 14 wins match last season’s total.

 

Senior Erin Kanetzke (Cincinnati, Ohio) added 12 kills and a match-best .360 hitting percentage. Rookie Casey Ritt (Colorado Springs, Colo.) continued her hot streak with 12 kills, while sophomore Kelsea Loveless (Lubbock, Texas) finished the match with 11 kills and 10 digs. Sophomore Meghan Fanta (Hillsboro, Wis.) made the offense go with 53 assists and also picked up nine digs in the match.

 

Colgate was outstanding on defense, finishing with a season-high 11 total team blocks and 75 digs. Junior Jackie Adlam (Mill Valley, Calif.) anchored the back row defense with 25 digs. Kanetzke led the blocking efforts with seven block assists, while Zawojski had five. Colgate held Bucknell to a .128 hitting percentage and just 52 kills to the Raiders’ 64 for the match.

 

Jenna Henderson led Bucknell with 15 kills, while Kelsey Lisle added 13. Shannon Pitsch handled the setting duties with 43 assists. Pitsch also picked up a team-high 15 digs for the double-double. Henderson helped on the Bison’s defensive effort with 14 digs, while Sheena Czipri had 13.

 

The first game was one of small runs as the two squads were tied 10 times and traded leads nine times. The Bison used a 6-3 run to take a 24-19 lead, but the Raiders rallied to take a 30-29 lead. Bucknell stopped Colgate’s run for good, scoring the next two points for the 32-30 win.

 

The second game was a different story with Colgate holding the lead or sitting in a tie from start to finish. The Raiders jumped out in front 8-3, but Bucknell outscored Colgate 9-4 to tie the score. The Bison never got any closer as the Raiders pulled away down the stretch for the nine-point victory. Colgate hit a match-high .471 in the game, posting 19 kills and just three errors.

 

Colgate came out of the long break looking to put the match away in the third and fourth games. The third game featured two ties and two lead changes, but Bucknell never led after Colgate broke the 4-4 tie. The Raiders used a 12-6 run to take a six-point lead and held off a fighting Bucknell squad down the stretch.

 

The Raiders dominated the fourth and decisive game. Colgate raced out to a 6-1 lead and never let the Bison get closer than 8-6. Holding that two-point lead, Colgate went on a 14-8 run for an eight-point advantage which it would only push to 12 at 30-18.

 

Colgate returns to action on Nov. 2-3, hosting Navy and American in crucial Patriot League matches. The Raiders host the Midshipmen at 7 p.m., and American at 4 p.m.