Box Score

LEWISBURG, Pa. – It didn't come easy for the Colgate women's volleyball team, but the Raiders were able to move to 5-0 in Patriot League play with a 3-1 (25-21, 27-29, 27-25, 28-26) win at Bucknell on Thursday night.

Colgate (7-11, 5-0 PL) saw Diane Seely and Liz Karnes led the way with 12 and 11 kills, respectively. The two also had big nights at the net on the defensive side with Karnes adding seven blocks and Seely posting five. Kaylee Fifer added 31 assists and nine digs, while Caitlin Cremin had 19 digs.

Bucknell (6-12, 0-5 PL) gave the Raiders a run with Claire Healy leading the way with 15 kills as she hit over 30 percent. Karen Campbell recorded 10 kills and Kat Tauscher added 12 digs. The Bison also played well at the front of the net with 23 total blocks.

“We got a great performance from Diane and Liz in the middle tonight,” said head coach Ryan Baker. “Bucknell played really well, but we still found a way to win.”

Colgate opened up a 9-4 lead in the first set with two kills and a block from Seely, along with strikes from Fifer and Lindsay Young. Bucknell responded with a 12-3 run to earn a 14-12 lead with two kills from Healy and one from Jessica Serrato. The Raiders turned the tide on Bucknell after a timeout and Karnes posted her third kill of the set to tie the match at 17-17. Coglate regained the lead at 20-19 after two kills by Young and Bison attack error. From there, Mari Faines took over with two kills and an assist block to help the Raiders to a 25-21 win. Karnes was also a threat at the front of the net with a pair of blocks down the stretch.

Bucknell came back in the second set and earned a 10-7 lead. Colgate answered with with a short 4-1 run to tie the set at 11-11. Karnes and Seely each recorded kills during the run. Young and Seely then gave the Raiders their first lead since 2-1 with an assisted block to make it 14-13. Colgate surged ahead to a three-point advantage at 18-15 with Young and Karnes combining on a block and a kill from Faines. Bucknell was able to hang around and took a 25-24 lead on a service ace. The teams then traded points until a Colgate error and a Kebah Edoho kill gave the Bison a 29-27 win in the longest set of the year for the Raiders.

The momentum stayed with the Bison in the third set and it staked them to a 5-0 lead on a pair of blocks and Colgate errors. It didn't take the Raiders long to crawl out of the hole and they tied the match at 9-9. Michelle McCarthy had a couple of kills and the Raiders were aided by a few Bison errors. Colgate remained on a roll and built a 16-12 advantage on a Young kill and two Bucknell miscues. The Bison cut the lead to 16-15, but the Raiders responded with three-straight points to push the score up to 19-15.

Bucknell fired back and tied the set at 20-20 and 24-24, but Colgate was able to overcome the late run. Fifer and McCarthy added kills and Young put the match away with a service to give Colgate a 27-25 win.

Just like Bucknell in the previous set, the Raiders carried the momentum into the fourth game and earned an 8-2 lead. Colgate got kills from five different players, while Faines and Karnes combined for a block and Young had a service ace. The Raiders increased the lead to 20-12, but Bucknell charged back into the game and made 21-20 with an 8-1 run. Colgate stopped the bleeding and had four chances at match point, but couldn't capitalize and the Bison tied the set at 24-24 with four-straight kills. Bucknell took a 26-25 lead late in the set, but after a McCarthy kill and two Bison errors, Colgate came away with a 28-26 set win and took home the match by a 3-1 score.

“We have a lot to improve on this week in practice, but to be 5-0 on the road in the league is a testament to our captains getting the team ready and focused,” mentioned Baker. “I know we are extremely happy to be in front of our home crowd for the next 4 weekends.”

With this being the lone match this week, the Raiders will not be back in action until Oct. 12 as they host Navy for the team's Dig Pink match. Stayed tuned to gocolgateraiders.com for updates on how to give to a great cause.