HAMILTON – The Colgate volleyball program held their first home Patriot League match of the season on Friday evening when they welcomed Lafayette to Cotterell Court. In the Raiders decisive 3-0 sweep of Lafayette, head coach
Ryan Baker marked his 200th victory at the helm of the Colgate program.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Raiders came out of the gate strong when they built a 19-8 lead in the opening set, pushing Lafayette to call a timeout. Charging ahead, Colgate then quickly claimed the first game by a 25-12 edge.
After being down by two points early in the second set, the Raiders then went on a 7-0 scoring run to regain a 19-15 lead after one of seven spikes by senior
Jaelah Hutchison. The most narrow set of the match, the pair of conference foes fought through six tie scores and four lead changes in the second set, before Colgate claimed a 2-0 lead in a 25-18 final.
Midway though the third set, the Raiders successfully overturned a call for a point, to build a 15-10 lead. Another 5-0 scoring run by the Raiders led to the eventual 25-18 win, sealing Colgate's second consecutive sweep through three Patriot League matches this season.
STATISTICAL STANDOUTS
• A well-rounded presence on the court, junior
Alex Stein was just one kill shy of a double-double with nine kills and 11 digs on the night. Additionally, Stein marked two solo blocks and one block assist on the Raiders 4.0 total team blocks of the Lafayette offense.
• Leading the team offensively was sophomore
Alli Lowe, as she posted 16 kills while hitting .312. The match marks Lowe's team-leading ninth double-digit kill match of the season.
• Defensively, sophomore
Bridget Kolsky led the Raiders by posting her 12th double-digit dig match of the season, in addition to notching both of Colgate's service aces at the line.
• The team's .296 hitting percentage is the second-best of the year, behind a .319 performance against Delaware (Sept. 15).
• Six different Raiders marked a kill against the Leopards, including senior
Amanda Smith, who posted seven kills while hitting .455, as well as senior
Jaelah Hutchison who also swung seven kills while hitting .385.
• Colgate is now on a 23-match win streak against Lafayette, dating back to 2006.
THE BOTTOM LINE
• Colgate 3, Lafayette 0 (25-12, 25-18, 25-18)
RECORD UPDATES
• Colgate improves to 7-8 on the year, with a 2-1 record in Patriot League play.
• Lafayette drops to 5-10 overall, with a 0-3 record in league action.
COACH BAKER'S TAKE
"I was very pleased with how we played tonight. We were organized and disciplined. Our middles had great production and we were low error overall.
"When it comes to 200, all I can say is thank you. I've been extremely grateful to have a group of current and former student-athletes who are smart, talented, driven and have bought in at the highest level. I've had some of the best assistants in the country and I've had a group of administrators and an institution who has supported me like no other. I'm lucky to work at Colgate."
UP NEXT
The Raiders remain at home as they host Bucknell for continued Patriot League play on Saturday, Sept. 29. In conjunction with national Pediatric Cancer Awareness Day, the team will be honoring 3-year-old Ella Rae Ryan, who is battling Type 2 Leukemia. A local family with ties to Colgate Athletics, the Ryans pre-match recognition will be followed by a 50/50 raffle throughout the first two sets of the match. Gilligan's ice cream is available with a donation to the Ryans for the first 75 fans, while head coach
Ryan Baker will be donating $5 per Colgate kill. For more information on Ella Ryan and the team's #EllaStrong night, click
HERE.
FOLLOW THE RAIDERS
For more information on the Colgate volleyball program, follow the Raiders on Twitter @ColgateVB and on Instagram at Colgate_VB.
