WORCESTER, Mass. – The Colgate volleyball program faced a back-and-forth battle at Holy Cross on Sunday afternoon before earning the five-set win 3-2. Behind a trio of double-doubles, the Raiders improve to 11-1 in Patriot League action with four matches remaining in the regular season.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Holy Cross claimed the opening point in the match before the Raiders saw themselves at a two-point deficit. Colgate answered Holy Cross' quick start by tying the game with a kill by Alex Stein off the block at 5-5. Notching the first of Colgate's four aces on the day was Alli Lowe, lifting the Raiders to an 8-7 lead, and after adjusting its systems, Colgate was able to come back out on top at 12-11 with Lowe's kill to the back line.

Apparent from the start of the match, extensive rallies made it a battle for every point, but Colgate made careful reads to capitalize on Holy Cross errors. After the Crusaders sank an ace for a 15-13 midway through, Colgate reclaimed the lead yet again behind a big dig by Gabby Benck at 18-17.

As it would for the remainder of the game, the score flipped back in favor of the home team behind a pair of Holy Cross points, before Colgate came out of its timeout with back-to-back tallies to tie the game at 20s. Holy Cross then came out of their timeout in a similar manner with a pair, before  Stein snapped the three-point run with a kill to the outside at 23-31. As the Raiders faced set point, Stein answered with a kill before Sophie Thompson jumped for a solo block to tie the set at 24-24. After Lowe's kill off the block put Colgate on top, Thompson was able to close out the four-point run to take the opening game in extra points.

Not deterred from Colgate's comeback in the first game, Holy Cross started out with a 3-0 lead before building a 10-3 advantage. The Raiders were able to rally as they came out of a timeout with a 4-1 run topped by a Lowe and Thompson block, but the Crusaders were able to streak ahead. Benck's first of two aces put Colgate within three at 13-10, before the momentum was snuffed out behind back-to-back Holy Cross aces for an 18-13 score. The Crusaders would power on with a 7-1 run that was snapped by Lowe at 22-15, but a center court kill brought it to set point before Holy Cross evened the match at 1-1 with an ace at 25-16.

Colgate came out of the break with a renewed energy, one in which a freshly-subbed Taylor Flaherty fueled with a kill to the back line for a 7-0 run and 8-2 lead. The six-point advantage would stand through 11-5 as Thompson made another stop at the net, before Flaherty came up with another kill at the right side for 14-7. Holy Cross battled back with a trio of points at 18-14, but Colgate was able to right the ship with a sneak attack by setter Julia Kurowski for 19. The Raiders would continue to fight for every point as Lowe made a save for Stein to make the kill, bringing Colgate to set point. Colgate gained a momentous 2-1 edge in the match behind Stein and Jessica Lathan's block that closed it out at 25-15.

In the start of the fourth set the Raiders found themselves down yet again at 6-1 until Stein sunk a back row kill, but a kill off the block lifted Holy Cross to an 11-7 advantage. Even through the Crusaders push to keep the match active, the serve swung back to Colgate after a kill by Kurowski narrowed the game to three at 11-8, and Stein put the Raiders back within one at 12-11. Just as they had to in the second set, the Raiders repeatedly had to inch back, as a strong swing to center court by Lathan made it a one-point game at 13-12. Even after trailing by as many as four at 20-16, the Raiders responded out of their timeout with a pair of points to bring it back within two at 20-18. A record of a rally made it a 23-19 game, but Holy Cross would force a fifth with a 25-20 final.

As the Raiders faced their seventh five-setter of the season, they started play strong with a 3-1 edge. The Colgate defense forced long balls and errors by the Crusaders, sailing to a 5-1 advantage. After Stein notched an ace for a 7-2 lead, the conference foes would switch sides with Colgate leading 8-2 after a block by the combination of Thompson and Flaherty. In the race to reach double-digits, Flaherty tallied a kill off the block making it a 10-5 game. Even after sacrificing a service error, Colgate's defense rebounded at the net forcing the Crusaders' swing long for a 12-6 edge.

It was after Benck's second ace of the match that Stein earned a kill that brought Colgate to the elusive match point. Just as they had all afternoon, Holy Cross continued to battle back as its block made it a three-point run at match point. The Raiders were then able to claim the game on Holy Cross' service error at 15-10 for the five-set victory.
 
STATISTICAL STANDOUTS
• Colgate's game featured a trio of double-doubles by junior Alli Lowe, sophomore Julia Kurowski, and senior Alex Stein.
• Behind 11 kills and a career-high of 17 digs, Lowe earned her second straight double-double for six on the season.
• Marking her team-leading 14th double-double of the season was outside hitter Stein with a team-high of 19 kills while hitting .278, paired with 18 digs.
• For her 13th double-double of the season, Kurowski recorded 46 assists and 16 digs.
• Surpassing 20-plus digs for the seventh time this season was junior libero Bridget Kolsky with 24 digs on the day.
• Effective at the net, freshman Sophie Thompson tied her career-high of seven total blocks (at North Carolina, Sept. 21) with one solo and six block assists. Thompson also added five kills against the Crusaders.
• After entering the match in the third set, senior Taylor Flaherty tallied seven kills while hitting .278, as well as a pair of block assists.
• Tying her season-high of three total blocks (at Lafayette, Oct. 12), was senior Jessica Lathan. The middle blocker also earned six kills while hitting .294.
• Senior Gabby Benck recorded her second multi-ace match of the season with two of Colgate's four at the back line.
• The Raiders most efficient attack came in the decisive fifth game behind a .333 hitting percentage.
• Colgate's first set comeback featured a match-high of 16 tie scores and nine lead changes.
 
THE BOTTOM LINE
• Colgate 3, Holy Cross 2 (26-24, 16-25, 25-15, 20-25, 15-10)
 
RECORD UPDATES
• Colgate now holds a 18-6 overall record, as well as a 11-1 mark in Patriot League play.
• Holy Cross is 3-23 on the season, and 0-12 in Patriot League action.
 
HEAD COACH RYAN BAKER'S TAKE
"I'd rather learn lessons and win, which is what we did tonight. This was not our best in any areas of the game, which is very disappointing after how we played Friday night. It shows we still have room to grow and improve.
 
"Taylor Flaherty provided a good spark off the bench and Bridget Kolsky was steady all match."
 
UP NEXT
The Raiders return home to Cotterell Court next weekend as they host Lafayette and Lehigh. The 7 p.m. matchup on Friday, Nov. 8 against the Leopards serves as Senior Day for the program's six-player senior class, while Saturday's 3 p.m. first serve against Lehigh is the final home game of the regular season.
 
FOLLOW THE RAIDERS
For more information on the Colgate volleyball program, follow the Raiders on Twitter @ColgateVB and on Instagram at Colgate_VB.