Easton, Pa. – The Raiders closed out their regular season with a sweep of Lafayette on Friday night.
Colgate defeated the Leopards 25-16, 25-16, 25-12 to finish its season with a record of 17-10, the best for the Raiders since the 2013 season.
The teams were trading points for the first portion of the set, but Colgate went on a 6-0 service run by
Kathleen Harris to put them up 12-6. Lafayette would gain a point back here-and-there, but could not get closer than three the rest of the way.
Katie Stansbury had five kills in the frame, including the one that gave Colgate's its biggest lead at 17-11. The Raiders closed out the set with a 3-0 service run by
Madison McAndrews.
Jaelah Hutchison recorded two kills in the run to secure the 25-16 victory for Colgate. The Raiders capitalized on nine Leopards' errors in the frame and recorded 15 kills.
Colgate got out to a quick start in the second frame, holding the 6-2 advantage over Lafayette thanks in part to three kills by Harris. The Leopards got to within two points at 7-5, but Colgate would push its lead to 13-7 very quickly. The 6-2 was boosted by two kills from senior
Katie Stebbins. The Raiders continued to hold onto their lead and Lafayette was in a seven-point deficit after a 3-0 service run by
Molly Smith. Both teams earned sideouts over the next seven points, leaving the Raiders ahead 22-15. Freshman
Hannah Cannon helped Colgate close out the frame with a kill and a block, pushing the score to 23-15. A service error and a kill by Harris would close out the frame at 25-16 and give the Raiders a 2-0 advantage in the match.
The Raiders started off the third frame on a 5-0 run, thanks to three Raider kills. Stansbury led the service run and Harris, Hutchison and Stansbury herself each pitched in a kill to give Colgate the early advantage. Lafayette fought to within two points at 5-3, but the Raiders would go on a 7-2 run to widen the gap. Lafayette got a few points back, but Colgate went on a scoring spree behind the serving of McAndrews and blew open the game, holding a 19-7 lead. The Leopards would not be able to fight their out of the hole Colgate created and the Raiders were able to close out the set and the match with a service ace from
Molly Smith and a kill from
Noel Kennebeck.
The Raiders are off until next Saturday, Nov. 19, when they play in the Patriot League tournament in Washington, D.C. Colgate secured the No. 2 seed last weekend and will learn their opponent after this weekend's matches.
Bottom Line
Colgate 3, Lafayette 0 (25-16, 25-16, 25-12)
Won-Lost Records
- Colgate finishes the 2016 regular season at 17-10, its best record since the 2013 season. The Raiders finished conference play at 13-3, also its best league record since 2013.
- Lafayette drops to 4-21 and 2-13 in Patriot League play.
Key Raider Info
- Hutchison paced the Raiders offensively, finishing the night with 10 kills. The sophomore also recorded four blocks.
- Stansbury also pitched in nine kills of her own, to go along with five digs.
- Harris finished the night with eight kills and nine digs.
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Molly Smith dished out 19 assists on the night to lead the Raiders. Smith also recorded 11 digs.
- McAndrews paced the Raiders defensively, logging 12 digs in the match.
Inside the Box Score
- The Raiders racked up 40 kills, hitting .420 on the night, while the Leopards hit .122 as a squad and tallied 28 kills.
- The team logged six blocks and 47 digs to defeat Lafayette.
- Colgate has won 10 of its last 11 matches heading into the Patriot League tournament with tonight's win.
From the Source: Head Coach Ryan Baker
- "This was a total team effort. I was happy with how hard we played defensively."
- "When you finish the Patriot League season 13-3, you know you have great chemistry and leadership. It's time to refocus and get to work as we prepare for playoffs."
Up Next
- The Raiders are off until next Saturday, Nov. 19, when they play in the semi-finals of the Patriot League tournament.
- The tournament will take place Nov. 19-20 in Washington, D.C. at American University.
- Colgate clinched the No. 2 seed in the tournament last weekend and will face either Army West Point, Navy or Lehigh, depending on the outcome of this weekend's matches.
- Live stats and video will be available for the entire weekend.
