HAMILTON – In a back-and-forth rematch of the 2020-21 Patriot League Tournament Championship, Colgate (8-7, 5-1 Patriot League) downed Army 3-1 (25-9; 19-25, 25-19, 26-24) behind a steady offensive attack and scoring runs in critical moments.

In 2020-21 top-seeded Colgate was stunned by third-seeded Army, 3-1 in the conference tournament championship to nab the automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Sunday's win healed the wound a bit more as it put the Raiders at the top of the 2021 conference standings alongside Lafayette (8-8, 5-1).

Despite 11 service errors, the Raiders recorded their third consecutive win on a 52-kill performance, while their defense held the Black Knights (10-5, 4-2) to a .164 hitting percentage. Led by Abby Shadwick, Colgate tallied a season-high 10 services aces, giving up just two.

Graduate senior Alli Lowe paced things with 13 kills and opened opportunity for her teammates to get in on the action as the Army defense focused on her. Eight different Raiders recorded kills, including 12 by sophomore Libby Overmyer and nine by junior Athena Leota to match her career high. Overmyer is riding a five-game stretch with double-digit kills.

Set 1: Colgate 25, Army 9
The Raiders looked to exact some revenge out the gate and opened Sunday's outing with an 8-0 run and a quartet of aces from freshman outside hitter Abby Shadwick. Colgate held Army to -0.048 hitting percentage, while combining for .444 hitting clip and 11 kills. Graduate senior Alli Lowe led the Raiders' offensive attack with four kills to keep the Black Knights off balance and limited to nine points.

Set 2: Colgate 19, Army 25
Colgate trailed for the first time of the match during a closely-contested set two. The Raiders and Black Knights traded leads five times, knotting the score on eight occasions. Army was able to pull away midway through the set after recording 16 kills, with Colgate tallying just behind with 13.

Set 3: Colgate 25, Army 19
Back-and-forth action opened a critical third set with the Raiders and Black Knights combining for five ties and three lead changes before either team had 10 points. Army went on a 4-0 scoring run to pull ahead 9-6, but Colgate chipped away over the next few possessions to take a 13-12 lead. Alli Lowe contributed a pair of late kills to open opportunities up for her teammates with Athena Leota adding two kills to move the Raiders ahead 24-18. Lowe punctuated the set with her 13th kill of the match, marking the fifth double-digit kill total for the Kennett Square, Pa., native, this season. The Raiders offense collected 16 kills, while holding the Black Knights to just six.

Set 4: Colgate 26, Army 24
A critical reverse of a net call that went against the Raiders and put them behind 6-5 instead of a three-point deficit, shifted the momentum for the home team. Colgate moved ahead 11-7 shortly thereafter behind after going on a 6-0 run. Army responded with a 6-0 run of its own to take a 17-16 lead before a point-for-point battle ensued. The Raiders dug deep after falling behind 24-22 and went on a 4-0 run to clinch the win.
 
FROM THE SOURCE
Head Coach Ryan Baker

"This was such a great win against a very strong Army team.  It's what I expect any time we play an Alma coached team.  They play great defense and some big hitters.  We were able to generate some very good offense tonight which was the difference maker.  Our hitters had some pop on the ball.  Our chemistry on the floor was great and we gutted it out. Alli Lowe and Athena Leota made some really big plays at key moments and Julia set a really good match.  Ashley Chow deserves a big shout out with her serves at the end of the match."
 
UP NEXT
Colgate concludes a three-game homestand on Friday against Loyola at 7 p.m. ET on Cotterell Court. The match will be live streamed on ESPN+.