BALTIMORE, Md. – The Colgate volleyball program extended their undefeated streak in Patriot League action with a 3-1 win at Loyola on Friday evening. Senior
Alex Stein earned her 13th double-double of the season, while libero
Bridget Kolsky marked a season-high of 27 digs.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Although Colgate opened with an early lead in the first set at 12-10, Loyola stepped up and overcame the Raiders at 19-14. The Raiders fell in the first set, but it only fired them up. Colgate would start to make a comeback with the help from
Alli Lowe, but it wouldn't quick be enough to overcome the Greyhounds and as the opponent went on to claim a 25-20 opening set win.
The Greyhounds came out to a hot start again in the second set, on a high after overtaking the undefeated Raiders. The set was extremely back-and-forth, but once
Athena Leota came into the game, the energy shifted. After being tied at 10s, the Raiders would go on a four-point streak and from there, would be able to hold onto the lead behind a critical kill by Leota to bring the Raiders to set point. Colgate went on to the 25-20 win to even the match at one apiece.
Colgate picked up set three where they left off in the second with an early 6-2 lead behind contributions from Lowe, Leota, and
Alex Stein. Loyola bounced back to tie the game at 16s and the teams would exchange points until tying it back up at 20s.
Hailey Horn-Bostel, who is third on the team leaderboard for kills this season, fired up the team bringing them within two points of a set three win at 23-20. The Greyhounds tallied two straight points to make it interesting, but Colgate ended up taking the set at 25-22.
With their sights set on extending their current undefeated title in league play, the Raiders came out with a strong start in the fourth set. The game started similar to the others, with a lot of back and forth scoring between the two teams. After being tied at 12s, Stein would help step up the action with five kills in the second half of the game to end the set at 25-19 for the Raiders victory.
STATISTICAL STANDOUTS
• Offensively, the Raiders were led by junior
Alli Lowe's 17 kills. Lowe now joins the Colgate record book of top-10 career kills in program history, ranking 10th overall in program history.
• Behind 14 kills and 19 digs, senior
Alex Stein marked her team-leading 13th double-double of the season.
• Sophomore setter
Julia Kurowski earned her 12th double-double of the season behind 42 assists and 11 digs.
• Defensively, junior libero
Bridget Kolsky posted a new season-high of 27 digs, the most since tallying 29 in her freshman campaign.
• A solid match at the back line, Colgate earned six service aces, including two apiece from Stein and sophomore
Ashley Chow.
• Colgate's 9-0 start in League play is the best in program history, since the start of the 16 conference match setup dating back to the 2013 campaign.
THE BOTTOM LINE
• Colgate 3, Loyola 1 (20-25, 25-20, 25-22, 25-19)
RECORD UPDATES
• Colgate now holds a 16-5 overall record, as well as a 9-0 mark in Patriot League play.
• Loyola moves to 10-13 on the season, and 3-6 in conference action.
HEAD COACH RYAN BAKER'S TAKE
"Loyola played great from the start so I was very pleased with our mental toughness in a highly attended match. It was Loyola's homecoming so the crowd was wild and Loyola's energy was intense.
"It took us a while to get going, but once we did, we made some big plays at key moments. Our pass and serve game got better with each set.
"Athena had a huge impact on the match offensively."
UP NEXT
The Raiders continue their road action tomorrow as it faces the defending Patriot League Regular Season Champion American. First serve is set for 4 p.m. in the battle for first place in the Patriot League standings.
FOLLOW THE RAIDERS
For more information on the Colgate volleyball program, follow the Raiders on Twitter @ColgateVB and on Instagram at Colgate_VB.
