HAMILTON – The Colgate volleyball program extends to a six-match win streak behind a sweep of Quinnipiac in its home opener. The Ellis Rowland Memorial Tournament continues tomorrow with action against New Hampshire and Rutgers.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Rowland Family
Cotterell Court was packed with Raider fans ready to celebrate Colgate Day and to honor the late Ellis Rowland. The Raider offense dominated the first half of the opening set as the Colgate barreled to a fitting 13-7 lead midway through the game. Play quickly began to shift to a battle at the net, as Colgate was able to close out a 25-18 victory with a major edge of 7.0-1.0 in total team blocks.
More narrow of a start, the second set featured play within points, until
Ashley Chow sank a service ace to increase Colgate's lead to 18-14. Hitting a groove, the game was ultimately decided at 25-21 after a kill by
Taylor Flaherty sealed to increase the Raider lead to 2-0.
With all eyes on the sweep, Colgate entered the third set swinging. The strong defensive play, paired with back-to-back kills by
Alex Stein, lifted the Raiders to a hearty 12-3 lead midway through. Although Quinnipiac attempted to inch back, the Raiders rolled to a 25-16 victory for the set win in its home-opening match and first in the Ellis Rowland Memorial Tournament.
STATISTICAL STANDOUTS
• Senior outside hitter
Alex Stein led the team with a fitting 13 kills on Colgate Day. A well-rounded performance, Stein also posted eight digs and two total blocks.
• With her team-leading nine total blocks, sophomore
Hailey Horn-Bostel set a new career-high in the defensive category. The nine total blocks surpasses her previous career-best of eight set at Harvard (Sept. 7).
• After scoring the set point in the second game, senior
Taylor Flaherty went on to total seven kills.
• After its seven-block opening set, the Raiders ultimately recorded 13.0 total team blocks to Quinnipiac's 3.0 on the night. Colgate has now posted double-digit blocks in five of the season's seven matches.
• A dominant set, the Raiders didn't allow any tie scores or lead changes through the third game.
• The six-match win streak is the longest since winning eight straight from Oct. 9-Nov. 1, 2016.
THE BOTTOM LINE
• Colgate 3, Quinnipiac 0 (25-18, 25-21, 25-16)
RECORD UPDATES
• Colgate now holds a 6-1 overall record.
• Quinnipiac is 4-3 on the year.
COACH BAKER'S TAKE
"It was great to win in three in front of such a great crowd. The atmosphere was everything you could want on Colgate Day.
Brigid St. Leger and
Ashley Capone deserve the win just as much as the players for the environment they created.
"Anytime you can win in a convincing fashion, you are happy.
Alex Stein and
Hailey Horn-Bostel were consistent the entire match which is something we need. Our block really showed up and may have made the difference."
UP NEXT
The Raiders are back in action tomorrow as they round out the Ellis Rowland Memorial Tournament. Colgate hosts New Hampshire in a 12:30 p.m. first serve, followed by Big Ten foe Rutgers at 5:30 p.m. on Cotterell Court.
FOLLOW THE RAIDERS
For more information on the Colgate volleyball program, follow the Raiders on Twitter @ColgateVB and on Instagram at Colgate_VB.
