HAMILTON – The Colgate volleyball program earned its 10th win in Patriot League play on Friday evening behind a 3-0 sweep of Army West Point. Colgate was strong at the net with 10.0 total team blocks, while Alli Lowe recorded her fifth double-double of the season.

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HOW IT HAPPENED
Army struggled on the serve return early in the match, a move of which the Raiders would capitalize on for a 3-0 lead. Freshman Sophie Thompson was unstoppable at the net early in the game as she already tallied three kills and one solo block as the Black Knights called a timeout trailing 7-2. After Colgate gained a 15-6 advantage midway through, Army called a timeout. The Black Knights returned to play with a 3-0 run coming out of the timeout, but a decisive kill by Alli Lowe brought Colgate to set point. With the solo block by Lowe following up the play, the Raiders claimed an opening set win of 25-18.

After facing a tie game at 7-7, the Raiders led 16-10 midway through the second set behind another Thompson kill. In a game featuring much longer rallies, the Raiders looked to attack the Army back line. A standout block by freshman Taylor Davis on the right side brought the Raiders to their second straight set point. Although Army answered with a pair of points, Colgate closed it out with a 25-16 win.

The third game featured a much more narrow start between the conference foes. After zero tie score or lead changes in the opening game, the teams battled through 10 ties in the third set. After no more than a two-point spread through single digits, Colgate started to break away at 14-11 behind a kill by senior Alex Stein. After as much as a three-point lead by the Raiders, Army inched back to tie the game yet again at 16s with a kill just inside the back line, a move prompting Colgate to call a timeout.

The game became tied yet again at 19s, until Colgate was put back on top with a perfectly placed kill inside the back corner of the court by sophomore Hailey Horn-Bostel. The game featured highlight reel digs, keeping play active until Colgate regained its three-point advantage at 22-19. A solo block by sophomore setter Julia Kurowski brought Colgate to set point, but similar to the second game, Army answered with two straight points. The Raiders were then able to seal the sweep with a 25-23 final at Cotterell Court.
 
STATISTICAL STANDOUTS
• Behind 15 kills and 11 digs, junior Alli Lowe recorded her fifth double-double of the season and first since playing at Lafayette (Oct. 12).
• Freshman Sophie Thompson had a standout night at the net with nine kills while hitting a team-high of .750, paired with three total blocks. Her efficient attack percentage is a season-high, while the nine kills is just one shy of her career-high against VCU (Sept. 21).
• An all-around performance, senior Alex Stein notched nine kills, six digs, three blocks, and Colgate's lone service ace of the match.
• Colgate made big plays at the net with 10.0 total team blocks. It marks the most since facing Navy (Oct. 18) and earning 11.0 total team blocks.
• Also effective at the net, sophomore Hailey Horn-Bostel tallied five kill on the night.
 
THE BOTTOM LINE
• Colgate 3, Army 0 (25-18, 25-16, 25-23)
 
RECORD UPDATES
• Colgate now holds a 17-6 overall record, as well as a 10-1 mark in Patriot League play.
• Army is now 15-9 on the season, and 6-5 in conference action.
 
HEAD COACH RYAN BAKER'S TAKE
"This was a great win for us. After last week's loss to American, we had a great week of practice. Unfortunately, I feel a byproduct of going undefeated for a long time is that you get complacent and stop improving which is what happened. This week the team was focused and all about improvement. It was a fun week to coach."

"Our serve and block game were on point and Sophie Thompson was a presence all night long. We will recover and get ready for a road league match against a hungry Holy Cross team."
 
UP NEXT
The Raiders travel to Worcester, Massachusetts, for continued Patriot League action this Sunday, Nov. 3. First serve is set for 1 p.m. at Holy Cross.
 
FOLLOW THE RAIDERS
For more information on the Colgate volleyball program, follow the Raiders on Twitter @ColgateVB and on Instagram at Colgate_VB.