Box Score

HAMILTON – Colgate clinched no worse than a share of its first Patriot League regular season title in 13 years here Saturday with a 3-0 whitewash of Holy Cross.

The Raiders won 25-11, 25-17 and 25-14 to improve to 14-12 overall and 11-1 in conference play. Colgate is two full games ahead of both American and Army with only two games remaining.

Colgate ends the season next weekend with games at American and Navy, needing to win just one of those games to lock up the overall top seed in the conference tournament.

The last time Colgate claimed at least a share of the Patriot League's regular season championship was 1999, and the Raiders last won outright titles in 1996 and 1991. Vicky Chun, Colgate's current Interim Director of Athletics, was head coach of the 1996 team and also played on the 1990 squad that won a conference tournament title.

Colgate also won Patriot League tournament championships in 1995, 1996 and 1999.

In Saturday's opening set, the Raiders scored the game's first five points and never wavered. It was 11-1 Colgate thanks to a pair of kills each from Michelle McCarthy and Kenzie Hume. A Kate Reilly kill from Kaylee Fifer's assist increased the lead to 17-5, and the Raiders coasted from there to the 25-11 win.

Colgate's team attack percentage was .405 for the opening set.

In Set 2, Colgate scored the first three points but later found itself on the short end of an 11-9 score. That's when the Raiders scored five straight points thanks to a pair of service aces from Hume and consecutive kills by Reilly. Holy Cross kept it close at 17-14 before Colgate again went on a run, scoring seven straight points.

Katie Fauntleroy had two kills during that stretch, along with one each from Fifer and Mari Faines. The Crusaders scored three in a row before Faines ended it at 25-17. That set was Colgate's best statistically, with a .433 team attack percentage.

The final set was close for the opening portion. Colgate led only 13-11 and then 17-14 before scoring eight of the final nine points. Holy Cross errors were the difference down the stretch, and the Crusaders finished that set with a .000 team attack percentage. McCarthy had kills on three of the final four points for Colgate to close it out at 25-14.

McCarthy led a balanced attack with nine kills, followed by Fauntleroy with eight and Reilly and Hume with six apiece. Fifer finished with 30 saves, while Caitlin Cremin chipped in 18 digs.