WORCESTER, Mass. – The Colgate volleyball program opened Patriot League play on Friday evening when they traveled to Holy Cross. Despite junior Alex Stein's team-leading fifth double-double of the season and a 22 dig performance by sophomore Bridget Kolsky, the Raiders were unable to overcome a late comeback by the Crusaders, ultimately falling 3-1.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED – 3-1 LOSS AT HOLY CROSS
Colgate came out of the gate strong with a 4-0 start in the opening set, where the Raiders didn't sacrifice any lead changes or tie scores on their way to an eventual 25-16 victory in the Patriot League opener. After just the first game, senior Amanda Smith led the diverse offense with three kills while hitting .750, in a match where five different players posted multiple kills after the opening game.

After a back-and-forth start to the second set, Kolsky a libero, regained the lead for the Raiders at 4-3 with a kill after the Crusaders couldn't return the unexpected attack. Once Holy Cross inched ahead at the 11-10 marker, they raced ahead towards making it an even match. Colgate persisted and made a three-point run at set point, although Holy Cross took the game under a play ruled a blocking error at 25-23 preventing extra point play.

Holy Cross' momentum carried over to the third set as well, until Kolsky pulled the points in favor of the Raiders at 11-10 with her 10th service ace of the season. Although the ace was a turning point for the Raiders in which they increased their lead to 15-11, the roles reversed late in the game when Colgate faced three set points by Holy Cross. The Crusaders were then able to seal it in an extra point battle and gain a 2-1 lead in the match at 26-24.

After fighting through 11 tie scores and four lead changes on the way to the third set's extra point decision, the fourth set took another 10 tie scores and a match-high of five lead changes to conclude. In the must-win game, the Raiders edged into the set with a pair of points after a timeout, but still narrowly trailed 18-16. The pressure was enough to lift the Raiders to a 20-19 lead, forcing Holy Cross to call a timeout, although another three-point run by the Crusaders pressed them into extra points, before claiming the match on home court at a 27-25 marker.
 
STATISTICAL STANDOUTS
• Marking her team-leading fifth double-double of the season, junior Alex Stein was an all-around presence on the court for the Raiders as she posted two service aces and six total blocks in addition to her 15 kills and 10 digs. The six total blocks marks a career-high for the East Setauket, New York native, and came in addition to her third multiple-ace match of the season.
• Defensively, the Raiders' 10.0 total blocks were much in part to senior Jaelah Hutchison, as she registered a team-high of eight on the night. The 10.0 blocks marks the fourth double-digit block effort of the season for Colgate, while Hutchison's eight was her second-most on the season after her 11 block performance versus Liberty (Sept. 8).
• For her third 20+ dig match of the season, sophomore Bridget Kolsky tallied 22 to fuel the Raiders defense. Other 20-plus efforts by Kolsky came in a 23-dig match versus Bryant (Sept. 15) and a 24-dig performance versus Chicago State (Aug. 24), while she leads the team with a 3.84 digs per set average.
• Overall, the Raiders posted a season-high total of nine service aces by six different players, while Stein, freshman Julia Kurowski, and freshman Ashley Chow each had a multiple ace match. It was Chow's first multiple ace match of her career, and third for fellow freshman Kurowski.
 
THE BOTTOM LINE
• Holy Cross 3, Colgate 1 (16-25, 25-23, 26-24, 27-25)
 
RECORD UPDATES
• Colgate holds a 5-8 record on the year, and is 0-1 in Patriot League play.
• Holy Cross improves to 2-12, and starts Patriot League 1-0.
 
COACH BAKER'S TAKE
"We need to give a lot of credit to Holy Cross; they fed off the crowd and never gave in. It was exactly what you would expect in a league match."
 
"I feel we played tight and wanted it too much.  Every ball mattered too much so that's on myself and the seniors."
 
"Alex Stein and Bridget Kolsky kept us in that match.  We will move on and get ready for another battle tomorrow."
 
UP NEXT
The Raiders continue Patriot League play tomorrow afternoon when they take on Army West Point on the road at 4 p.m.
 
FOLLOW THE RAIDERS
For more information on the Colgate volleyball program, follow the Raiders on Twitter @ColgateVB and on Instagram at Colgate_VB.