Box Score

HAMILTON, N.Y. -- Colgate's volleyball team gave its raucous student cheering section plenty to rave about before falling 3-1 to Syracuse in the Colgate Classic finale at Cotterell Court.

The Orange improved to 3-0 for the weekend in Hamilton, claiming Saturday night's victory by the scores of 25-20, 26-28, 25-19 and 25-19.

"The atmosphere in Cotterell Court was electric,” Colgate head coach Ryan Baker said. “The pep band, the national anthem by Colgate 13, the enormous crowd and the constant support made this a memorable evening."

Colgate's Diane Seely was a force early in the match. The middle blocker kept the Raiders in the first set with a number of impressive kills, and Colgate was keeping pace with the Orange.

"Diane Seely had a tremendous match for us,” Baker said of his sophomore, who finished with a dozen kills and an attack percentage of .308. “Her athleticism was truly showcased tonight."

Syracuse finally found breathing room in that opening set by climbing to an 18-13 lead. Colgate's Lindsay Young brought the Raiders back again, her kill making it 19-17. But Syracuse finally ended the set on a clinching block by Emily Betteridge that closed out the 25-20 margin.

Second Set a Beauty
In the second set, Syracuse led 5-2 and 8-4. It was 10-7 Orange when the Raiders rallied for three straight points, capped by a Mari Faines kill at the net.

Trailing later 19-17, Baker called timeout and his Raiders responded. Three straight points lifted Colgate to a 20-19 advantage, and it was tight the rest of the way. Colgate finally saved a fourth set point when Allie Dyer delivered a nifty two-hand putaway and Syracuse had an attack error at the net.

Colgate had rallied for a 28-26 set win.

Set 3 saw the Orange again out front, opening with leads of 7-4 and 13-9. Colgate was up to the challenge and, after tying the score at 15, took an 18-17 edge when Young delivered off an assist by Kaylee Fifer.

But Syracuse only turned on the steam and closed the set with an 8-1 run. The third set score was 25-19.

The final set was nearly a carbon copy. Syracuse rallied from a 3-1 deficit to go on top 9-7. Colgate battled to a pair of one-point leads and even moved on top 16-14 when Fifer made a sparkling block.

20 Kills for Young
Young was on the mark with her game-leading 20th kill of the match to tie the score at 18-18, but Syracuse ended with an 11-3 finish for a second straight 25-19 decision.

"This was a hard-fought match where both teams were aggressively attacking,” Baker said. “I am extremely proud of our overall effort and I truly believe this team can be great.”

Colgate's first road swing takes the Raiders to Southern California next weekend for the Loyola Marymount/UC Irvine Tournament. Colgate (0-3) faces Arizona State and Nebraska in addition to the two host schools, with all matches taking place Friday and Saturday.

In earlier Classic action Saturday, Syracuse rallied for a 3-1 win over Bryant, and Illinois-Chicago claimed 3-0 wins over Colgate and Bryant.

All-Tournament: Joining Colgate's Young on the Classic's All-Tournament Team were Andrea Fisher and Lindsay McCabe of Syracuse, and Kaitlyn Klein of Bryant.