WORCESTER, Mass. – Colgate claimed sole position of third place in the Patriot League standings with a 3-0 whitewash of Holy Cross on Friday night.
 
The Raiders won 25-18, 25-23 and 25-19 to improve to 7-3 in conference and 9-12 overall. Colgate also won for the 45th time in 51 series meetings against the Crusaders.
 
Lehigh's Friday night loss at Navy allowed Colgate to take over solo third place, just 1½ games behind second-place Army West Point (8-1).
 
First-years Amanda Smith (11), Katie Stansbury (11) and Jaelah Hutchison (9) combined for 31 of Colgate's 47 kills. Smith posted a .526 hitting percentage, while Stansbury finished at .357.
 
The Raiders never trailed in Sets 1 and 3 but had to work nonetheless. Set 2 was especially challenging, as the host Crusaders built leads of 12-9 and 16-14 before the Raiders swung the momentum.
 
Colgate continues its road trip Saturday at Army in a 4 p.m. start.
 
Bottom Line
• Colgate 3, Holy Cross 0 (25-18, 25-23, 25-19).

Won-Lost Records
• Colgate improved to 9-12 overall and 7-3 in the Patriot League.
• Holy Cross is now 5-18 and 2-8.

Set Breakdowns
• Colgate in the opening set grabbed leads of 7-3 and 10-5 before really opening the gap to go in front 22-10. Stansbury posted three straight kills to conclude that stretch for the Raiders. Holy Cross rallied to within 22-16 and 23-18, but Stansbury wrapped things up with another kill and then a service ace for the 25-18 victory.
• The second set was closely contested throughout, with 11 ties and five lead changes. Holy Cross built a 12-9 lead before Colgate answered with three straight points, the final two on kills by Katie Stebbins. The Crusaders went back in front 16-14 before Colgate finally swung the momentum with a 10-3 run that made it 24-19. Stansbury, Kathleen Harris and Kate Reilly all had kills during that stretch. Holy Cross rallied again to within 24-23 before Hutchison finished the set with a kill for a 2-0 lead.
• There were eight ties in the third set, the last coming at 11-11. That's when Colgate took command, sparked by a 5-0 run that made it 16-11. Harris contributed a kill during that run and Hutchison had two. Holy Cross cut it to 16-13 but never drew any closer as Colgate steadily increased its lead. Smith had six of her 11 kills to help the Raiders close it out, 25-19.

More Key Info
• Colgate claimed a 47-38 edge in kills and a 39-35 margin in assists.
• The first-year combo of Smith (11), Stansbury (11) and Hutchison (9) combined for 31 of Colgate's 47 kills.
• The Raiders finished with a .322 hitting percentage to Holy Cross' .217. Colgate's best sets were the first (.390) and third (.389). The Raiders still out-hit the Crusaders in the middle set, .205 to .182.
• Stansbury and Molly Smith had 10 digs apiece, with Harris right behind at nine.
• Smith led the Raiders with 20 assists, followed by Jackie Macy with 14 and Madison McAndrews five for a total of 39.
 
From the Source
• Head coach Ryan Baker (on the game) "It wasn't our best effort, but we found a way to win. I was very pleased with the offensive production from our freshmen. You have to give credit to Holy Cross and their scrappiness.
 
"We did a better job as the match went on, which speaks to our leadership."

Gate Grab Bag
• The Raiders improved to 45-6 all-time against Holy Cross, including 17-5 in Worcester.

Up Next
• Colgate continues its two-game weekend road swing with a 4 p.m. contest Saturday at Army. The Black Knights, 16-6 overall and 8-1 in conference, won 3-1 in Hamilton back on Sept. 25.