Washington D.C. – The No. 2 seeded Raiders fell to No. 1 seed American in the Patriot League Championship on Sunday afternoon.
 
Madison McAndrews and Jaelah Hutchison earned spots on the Patriot League All-Tournament team after their performances this weekend.
 
Colgate came out with all of the momentum in the first set, but American mounted a 13-4 run to close out the frame and defeat the Raiders, 25-22.
 
Behind the serving from Molly Smith, Colgate was able to use a 7-0 run to take a 12-5 lead over the Eagles. Over the course of the run, Smith had three service aces and senior Katie Stebbins recorded two kills.

The Raiders looked as though they would sail through the rest of the frame after freshman Taylor Flaherty came up with a huge solo block at the net and sophomore Hutchison recorded a kill off of an American free ball over the net, helping Colgate gain an 18-12 lead over the Eagles.
 
American took its first lead of the set since 4-3 after mounting a 7-1 run to give the Eagles a 19-18 advantage. Flaherty tied the match at 19 apiece, but American was able to gain control of the frame and close it out at 25-22.
 
Kathleen Harris, Hutchison and Stebbins each pitched in three kills and senior McAndrews logged four digs in the frame.
 
American came out swinging in the second set, recording 21 kills en route to topping Colgate 25-18. Colgate was down early, but three errors by the Eagles and two kills by Katie Stansbury helped the team stay within two points at 11-9.
 
The Eagles then used a 3-0 run to pull away from the Raiders, leading 14-9. Ryan Baker called a timeout to try and settle the squad and out of the timeout Harris and Hutchison came up with a big block to stay within five points.
 
The teams continued to trade points through the latter half of the set, with Stansbury leading the way with five kills in the frame, but Colgate could not get any closer than four points for the rest of the way.
 
McAndrews was all over the floor in the second set for the Raiders, notching seven digs in the frame.  
 
The Raiders found themselves down in a big way in the third set, but their fight was still strong. Colgate battled and went on a 11-2 run to win the third set, 25-22.
 
Kills by Stebbins, Hutchison and Stansbury and a fantastic defensive effort by McAndrews kept Colgate within three at the beginning of the set. But soon, the Raiders found themselves down 19-13. Baker once again called a timeout to ignite the fight within the team and this time, it was more than successful.
 
Senior captain Harris led her team on an 8-0 service run shortly following the timeout to allow Colgate's its first lead of the third set at 22-21. American was able to tie the set at 22 following an Eagle timeout, but Stebbins showed her force at the net over the next three plays to secure the set for Colgate. The senior gave the Raiders the 23-22 lead after a great kill down the line and then she and Hutchison came up with back-to-back blocks to give Colgate the set.
 
Hutchison and Stansbury each pitched in three kills in the frame and McAndrews had 10 digs.
 
Colgate held control for a majority of the fourth set, but American used a 7-0 run to defeat the Raiders, 25-21 in the frame.
 
The Raiders held a 15-11 lead over the Eagles behind four kills apiece from Harris and Stansbury. To attempt to stop the Colgate momentum, American called a timeout and was able to inch its way back into the set.
 
The Eagles went on a 3-0 run to pull the set within three at 19-16, but kills from Hutchison and Flaherty gave the Raiders the 21-18 lead late into the frame. From that point on, it was all American, as they used a 7-0 run to close out the set and the match.
 
This is American's fourth consecutive Patriot League title.
 
Bottom Line
- American 3, Colgate 1 (22-25, 18-25, 25-22, 21-25)
 
Won-Lost Records
- Colgate finishes the 2016 season with an 18-11 record, its best finish since the 2013 season.
- American moves to 27-7 on the year and will compete in the NCAA Tournament.
 
Key Raider Info
- McAndrews and Hutchison were named to the PL All-Tournament Team.
- Stansbury led the Raiders with 14 kills, pacing the offense for the match. She also pitched in nine digs in the match.
- Harris recorded 12 kills and nine digs in the showing.
- Hutchison and Stebbins each 10 kills in the match, and both finished with five blocks.
- Flaherty recorded six kills and five blocks during the match.
- McAndrews set the tone for Colgate defensively, logging 27 digs on the afternoon.
- Lauren Sanderson and Molly Smith dished out 24 and 20 assists in the match, respectively.
 
Inside the Box Score
- Colgate registered a .226 hitting percentage in the Championship match, racking up 54 kills. American finished with 65 kills on a .325 hit clip.
- The squad logged 63 digs and 10 blocks at the net against the Eagles.
- The match saw 15 ties and nine score changes, with 21 of the total 24 coming in the first and final sets.
- Colgate finished with best record at 18-11 since the 2013 season