Box Score

EASTON, Pa. – It didn't come easy, but the Colgate volleyball team moved to 2-0 in Patriot League play with a 3-0 (26-24, 25-22, 26-24) win at Lafayette on Saturday afternoon.

The Raiders (4-10, 2-0 PL) were led by Michelle McCarthy and Lindsay Young, as each had 11 kills. Jackie Macy posted 17 assists, while Caitlin Cremin recorded 16 digs.

The Leopards (8-5, 1-1 PL) got 11 strikes from Karissa Ciliento and 25 assists by Sarah Frohnapfel. The defense for the Raiders was stellar as they held Lafayette to a .063 hitting percentage on the day.

"I am most proud of our relentless pursuit of a win today,” said head coach Ryan Baker. “We found a way to win, which is all you can ask of your team. Kaylee Fifer was a stabilizer in all aspects of the game. Allie Dyer also played a pivotal role, especially from the service line.”

Colgate started out the first set with an early 6-2 lead with four-straight points to build the advantage. McCarthy added two kills and Kaylee Fifer added a service ace during the run. Lafayette answered with a little 4-0 run to even the score at 13-13. The teams traded points until the Raiders retook the lead at 19-18 with a block by Diane Seely. The Raiders increased the score to three, only to see the Leopards fight back and tie it at 22-22. Colgate, however, never lost its composure, and a kill from McCarthy followed by an ace from Cremin gave the Raiders the first set at 26-24.

In the second set, the Raiders had to dig out of a hole early in the set as Lafayette opened up a 12-6 lead. Colgate chipped away and, with the score at 15-10 in favor of the Leopards, went on a 6-0 run to earn its first lead at 16-15. Young had two kills during the run and Allie Dyer recorded an ace. The run kept rolling and Colgate increased the lead to 22-16 as the Raiders had an overall run of 12-1. Lafayette sliced it to three, but a Young kill and a Leopard error gave Colgate a two-set advantage with a 25-20 win.

The run continued into the third set as Colgate jumped out to a 9-2 lead with kills from Kate Reilly and McCarthy, along with another Dyer ace. Then the Leopards reversed the momentum with a long run of their own with an 11-3 advantage over the next 14 points to earn a 13-12 lead. Lafayette pushed the score up to 15-12, but the Raiders clawed back to tie at 15-15 with a kill by Young and an attack from the home team. The teams each earned two-point leads down the stretch, but kills by Young and McCarthy closed out the set and the match with the Raiders earning another 26-24 victory.

The Raiders have yet to drop a set in Patriot League competition after a pair of sweeps this weekend. Colgate will be back on the court on Tuesday evening with a visit to Cornell, while Holy Cross and Army await the Raiders this coming weekend.