WORCESTER, Mass. – Colgate responded from Friday night's five-setter at Army with a strong 3-0 sweep of Holy Cross on Saturday afternoon.
 
Capping off a 3-1 road trip, Colgate (14-8, 11-2 PL) never trailed in any of the three sets and maintained a strong grasp of first place in the Patriot League standings behind 25-15, 25-18, and 25-14 set wins on Saturday.
 
The Raiders matched their season-high attack percentage (.358) en route to 43 kills and held Holy Cross to a .144 clip with 29 kills to 14 errors.
 
First-year Sydney Jones posted a double-double with career-highs in assists (18) and digs (12) in the balanced effort. Julia Kurowski nearly had a double-double of her own on 14 assists and nine kills, while Libby Overmyer once again led the charge offensively with 11 kills.
 
Set 1: Colgate 25, Holy Cross 15
Colgate used a quick start to jump out to an early lead in the opening set. An Alli Lowe kill and Jones service ace sparked a 6-2 advantage and the Raiders never looked back. After stretching the lead to 17-10 on a kill by Taylor Davis, Holy Cross cut the gap to 18-14 on back-to-back kills from Sanaea Simmons and Gracyn Benck. But Colgate bounced back with the final run, scoring seven of the last eight points, with a service ace by Cami Carfino sealing the 25-15 victory.
 
Set 2: Colgate 25, Holy Cross 18
Another early 4-0 scoring run catapulted Colgate out to an early 7-3 edge in Set 2. Holy Cross drew even twice at 12s and 13s, but another 4-0 run capped by a kill from Kurowski put the Raiders in front for good 17-13. Three straight kills from Overmyer, Sophie Thompson, and Jones stretched the lead to seven (23-16), and that was the winning margin after Thompson capped things off with a kill to give Colgate a 25-18 Set 2 win.
 
Set 3: Colgate 25, Holy Cross 14
The third and final set was the most decisive, as Colgate bolted out to an 11-6 lead after kills by Kurowski, Thompson, and Overmyer highlighted a 5-0 Raider run. The Crusaders closed to within 17-12, but the Raiders had the final momentum shift, scoring eight of the last 10 points. Three consecutive kills from Harper Snyder, Hailey Horn-Bostel, and Kurowski closed out the set and match victory for Colgate.
 
FROM THE SOURCE
Head Coach Ryan Baker
 
"This was a great win on the road after an emotionally and physically draining match last night. We finished 3-1 after four straight league road matches. I would call that a very successful road stand. Tonight, our offense was clicking. Julia and Sydney set really well and our hitters were in a good rhythm."
 
UP NEXT
Colgate is home for two of its last three regular-season matches, starting next Friday, Nov. 5, against American. First serve from Cotterell Court is set for 6:30 p.m.