HAMILTON – Behind a 3-1 win over Tulane, the Colgate volleyball program advances to the quarterfinals National Invitational Volleyball Championship. The Dec. 12 matchup will take place in Fort Worth, Texas, in a 4 p.m. central / 5 p.m. eastern first serve.
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Against the Green Wave a trio of Raiders earn double-doubles, while sophomore setter
Julia Kurowski set the single-season assists record by tallying 1,217.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Early in the match, Tulane's blocking game inched them ahead to a 12-9 lead midway through heading into a Colgate timeout. The time renewed the Raiders, one that they came out of to tie the game at 18s with a touch by
Sophie Thompson on a free ball. The set continued to go point-for-point through 22-22, prior to
Alli Lowe tying it again with a kill at 23s, followed by a swift swing by
Alex Stein to claim the game at 25-23.
It was another back-and-forth start to the second set, before
Hailey Horn-Bostel's kill to the back line put the Raiders on top at 8-7. As the game continued to swing, Colgate was back within one at 14-13, and surpassed the Green Wave with a four-point run capped by a
Cami Carfino ace. As Tulane battled back with long rallies, Colgate came out of a timeout with a kill off the block by Lowe for a 19-15 edge. After the visitors went ahead yet again, Colgate came back with a successful challenge to tie the game at 21s, but Tulane answered by evening the match with a 25-23 win.
Not deterred, the Raiders ran ahead to a 6-2 advantage in the third and despite long rallies, built a 13-6 lead. As the Raiders had to run plays for points, the third time was the charm several times to seal the wins point after point. The Green Wave looked to keep the game going with a 3-0 run midway through, but the Raiders rallied ahead to a 22-17 lead. A kill off the back row by Stein brought the Raiders to set point, but Tulane pressured back with a 6-0 run. Stein brought the Raiders back to set point, before Colgate was able to close out an extra point win at 26-24.
After Tulane opened the fourth set with a run, Colgate was back within one at 8-7. With back-to-back kills by Horn-Bostel, the Raiders tied the game at 16s. Finding the drive to close out the win, the Raiders went on a 9-1 run for a 23-17 advantage before earning the 25-18 final and 3-1 victory.
STATISTICAL STANDOUTS
• A trio of Raiders earned double-doubles in junior
Alli Lowe, sophomore
Julia Kurowski, and senior
Alex Stein.
• Behind her 37 against Tulane, sophomore setter Kurowski set the single-season assists record currently holding 1,217 through the season's 31 matches. The mark surpasses
Meghan Fanta's 1,191 in the 2006 campaign.
• By adding 14 digs, Kurowski notched her team topping 17th double-double of the year in addition leading the team with a .750 attack % resulting in six kills.
• On her way to earning her seventh 20-plus kill performance of the season, Lowe recorded her eighth double-double behind 21 kills and 10 digs. At the back line, Lowe also marked her third multi-ace match of the season with two.
• With 10 kills and 11 digs, Stein marked her team-leading 17th double-double of the season.
• Senior
Taylor Flaherty had solid play on both sides of the ball, recording six kills and three total blocks.
• Also making an impact at the net was senior
Jessica Lathan behind a .545 attack % for six kills.
• It was a narrow match, featuring 29 total tie scores and 13 lead changes over the course of four sets, including a match-high of 13 ties and six lead changes in the opening game.
THE BOTTOM LINE
• Colgate 3, Tulane 1 (25-23, 23-25, 26-24, 25-18)
RECORD UPDATES
• Colgate now holds a 24-7 overall record and earned a 15-1 mark in Patriot League play.
• Tulane went 21-11 on the season and went 10-6 in American action.
HEAD COACH RYAN BAKER'S TAKE
"I am lost for words. What this team has accomplished is remarkable and so well-deserved. We are now in the Elite 8 in a premier tournament.
"Tulane is a very good team. They serve well, defend well, and are coached by some of the best coaches in the game.
Cami Carfino and
Bridget Kolsky were phenomenal and kept our backrow together.
Jessica Lathan was a huge spark for us and our whole team continued to improve throughout the match.
"I am so appreciative of all the fans that have supported us throughout this journey. I also am so thankful for our administration and the support they've given our program. I'm happy we get to play a great TCU team in front of their strong fan base. TCU will be another tough opponent, but I know our team will compete hard."
UP NEXT
The Raiders continue the NIVC with Round Three, taking place at TCU in Fort Worth, Texas. First serve is set for 4 p.m. central / 5 p.m. eastern time in the single-elimination matchup.
TCU defeated Miami (OH) 3-2 and Bowling Green 3-0 to advance through the tournament.
FOLLOW THE RAIDERS
For more information on the Colgate volleyball program, follow the Raiders on Twitter @ColgateVB and on Instagram at Colgate_VB.
