HAMILTON – Colgate came out swinging against Holy Cross, sweeping the Crusaders 25-10, 25-11, 25-12.
 
After hitting a season-best .409 last night, the Raiders set a new high as a team, hitting .443 in the match. Colgate racked up 42 kills to Holy Cross's 18.
 
Colgate held control of the match from the start, winning the first set 25-10. The Raiders got off to an early 11-1 lead behind 10 serves by freshman Taylor Flaherty. During her run, Colgate capitalized on four Crusader errors to garner the lead. After 12-9, Holy Cross would not get closer than nine points and the Raiders used a 13-1 run to close out the frame. Senior Katie Stebbins hit .833 in the set, racking up five kills in the frame.
 
The Raiders held the momentum from the first set and went on to top the Crusaders 25-11 in the second frame. Colgate was down by a point early in the second frame, but utilized a 14-3 run to take a 15-6 lead over Holy Cross. Harris had a 5-0 service run during the stretch, aided by two kills from Flaherty. After a big block by Holy Cross, it looked like the Crusaders might make a run, but Colgate held onto momentum, going on a 6-2 run to hold a 21-7 advantage. The Raiders would not look back, closing out the set with a kill from Harris, a solo block by freshman Hannah Cannon and three Holy Cross errors. Harris recorded five kills in the frame and Flaherty pitched in three.
 
Once again the Raiders used a hot start to defeat the Crusaders in the final set, 25-11. Harris and Amanda Smith helped the Raiders get out to an early 6-1 lead after both recorded a kill. Holy Cross would get as close as four points at 9-5, but could not find its way out of the deficit that Colgate created. Senior Madison McAndrews went on a 5-0 service run to give the Raiders the 17-6 lead over the Crusaders. Over the final eight seven points, freshman Jessica Lathan notched three kills, finishing with four in the frame, and sophomore Amanda Smith pitched in two of her own over the final stretch to close out the set. Harris once again paced the Raiders with five kills in the frame.
 
Colgate is back in action next weekend as they take on Navy on Friday night and Lehigh on Saturday afternoon. With the win, Colgate holds sole possession of second place in conference play with just six matches left to play.
 
Bottom Line
- Colgate 3, Holy Cross 0 (25-10, 25-11, 25-12)
 
Won-Lost Records
- Colgate moves to 12-9 in the 2016 campaign and improves to 8-2 in Patriot League play, giving them sole possession of second place.
- Holy Cross falls to 6-17 on the year and 2-8 in conference play.
 
Key Raider Info
- Harris led the Raiders' offense with 11 kills and topped the defense with 12 digs.
- Stebbins and Katie Stansbury both recorded six kills in the match.
- Jaelah Hutchison recorded five kills on the day to go along three blocks.
- Flaherty, Lathan and Amanda Smith finished the day with four kills apiece.
- Molly Smith dished out 17 assists and Lauren Sanderson finished with 12 helpers.
- McAndrews recorded 12 digs to help pace Colgate's defense.
 
Inside the Box Score
- The Raiders hit a season-best .443 on the day, compared to Holy Cross's .011.
- Colgate finished the match with 42 kills, while the Crusaders racked up 18.
- The Raiders recorded seven blocks as a team.
 
From the Source Head Coach Ryan Baker
- "I was really pleased with our effort today, especially on the defensive side. Holy Cross really mixed up their shots, and we attacked on defense. Offensively, our hitters had another strong night."
- "We had a great week of practice that transitioned into our play. The team hit a little bit of a lull after a long weekend of play a couple of weeks ago, but I feel we are back on the rise. We need our serve and pass game to stay consistent."
- "We will have our hands full this weekend with 2 strong teams on the road. We need to have another strong week of improvement."

Up Next
- The Raiders are on the road as they travel to take on Navy and Lehigh.
- Colgate faces Navy on Friday night, the match is slated for a 7:00 p.m. start.
- The Raiders lead the series against the Mids, 37-13, and won the match earlier this season in four sets.  
- The squad is then set to take on Lehigh at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday.
- Colgate holds the 37-18 advantage over the Mountain Hawks and swept the team at home earlier in the year.
- Live stats will be available for each match.