YPSILANTI, Mich. – The Colgate volleyball team closed out the non-league portion of its schedule on a high note Sunday afternoon as the Raiders earned an impressive 3-0 (25-16, 25-14, 25-22) victory at Eastern Michigan in the final game of the Michigan/EMU Challenge.
 
Colgate got out to a quick 4-1 lead in the first set, but the Eagles battled back to knot the score at 7-7. With the score still deadlocked at 12, a pair of kills from Kathleen Harris helped spark a 5-1 Colgate streak that put the Raiders in front 17-13 and forced an EMU timeout. The Raiders retained their momentum and scored five of the next six points out of the timeout to extend their lead to 22-15 before a service ace from Katie Stansbury cemented a 25-16 set-one victory.
 
The Raiders held an early 7-5 advantage in the second set before embarking on a 9-2 streak that saw kills from three different players and gave Colgate a commanding 16-7 lead to force an Eagles timeout. The Raiders kept rolling and didn't allow EMU to get closer than eight the rest of the way as an Eagles attack error closed the book on a 25-14 set-two victory that gave Colgate a 2-0 match lead.
 
A pair of kills from both Harris and Jaelah Hutchison guided the Raiders to an early 8-2 advantage in the third set. The Eagles were able to slowly close the gap and pull within 13-10 to force a Colgate timeout. A kill from Lauren Sanderson had the Raiders up by five at 16-11, but the Eagles answered with a 6-1 streak to tie the score at 17. Colgate went up 20-18, but EMU erupted on a 4-0 streak to take a 22-20 advantage before head coach Ryan Baker called a timeout. The timeout paid off as a Gabby Benck kill sparked a 5-0 Colgate run to close the set as the Raiders earned a 25-22 victory to complete the 3-0 sweep. 
 
BOTTOM LINE

• Colgate 3, Eastern Michigan 0 (25-16, 25-14, 25-22)

 
WON-LOST RECORDS

• Colgate improves to 4-7 overall.
• Eastern Michigan falls to 5-8.

 
KEY RAIDER INFO

• Harris led the Raiders with her seventh double-double of the season with a team-best 14 kills and 11 digs. Her 14 kills came with no errors in 36 total attempts for a strong .389 hitting percentage.
• Hutchison followed with seven kills, while Stebbins chipped in six.
• Sanderson and Molly Smith both dished a team-leading 16 assists apiece.
• Stansbury and Madison McAndrews both registered a squad-best 14 digs.

 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• The Raiders hit .237 as a team and limited Eastern Michigan to a stingy .053 hitting percentage.
• Colgate's defense impressed as the Raiders registered 65 digs through the three-set match, good for an average of 21.7 digs per set.
• The Raiders were also strong at the net, finishing the match with 10.0 team blocks compared to EMU's 6.0.

 
FROM THE SOURCE
Head Coach Ryan Baker

• "What a great way to end our non-conference schedule. Our execution in all areas was very high against a good MAC team. To have 65 digs in three sets is incredible. We were scrappy and fought from the first point to the last."

 
UP NEXT

• The Raiders kick off Patriot League play next weekend with trips to Holy Cross and Army.
• Colgate travels to Holy Cross Friday at 7 p.m.
• The Raiders then head to Army Saturday for a 4 p.m. first serve.