HAMILTON – After going down two sets in the home opener, the Colgate volleyball program was able to cap the comeback with back-to-back blocks for a five-set victory over Army.
Starting off the season with the 3-2 win, the Raiders wrap up their home-and-home series with Army on Sunday in West Point, N.Y.
HOW IT HAPPENED
It was a back-and-forth game in the opening set until it was tied up at 7s. After trailing by as many as four, the Raiders narrowed it to a one-point game as Army led 13-12. By keeping a close eye on the line, Colgate tied it back up at 16s, before Army paved the way to set point. Despite the Raiders rallying for a three-point run at set point, Army claimed the opening game 25-23.
Entering the second, Army rolled ahead to a fast start, calling for an early Colgate timeout as it trailed by five. Although the Raiders were strong at the back line, they hit the midway point of the game trailing 15-8 before Army ran ahead to a 25-12 set win.
Facing a must-win third set, the Raiders came out with a new sense of urgency and gained a 6-3 advantage behind a pair of strong plays by
Libby Overmyer. With aces popping up in the third, the Raiders went on an 11-1 run to gain a 14-4 lead behind a
Sophie Thompson kill. Blocks played a large part as well and after the Raiders led by as many as 14, Army went on a four-point run at set point. Colgate closed it out with an
Alli Lowe kill for a 25-14 win to keep the match alive.
The fourth set was another narrow start as the Patriot League foes went point-for-point. With no more than a three-point spread until the midway point, Colgate powered ahead. Good eyes on the line and clean play got the Raiders ahead by one until a kill by Overmyer increased their lead to 22-20. She did it again, even after Army tied it at 22s with a kill off the block, a block by Hauschild brought it to set point. The Raiders then were able to ultimately force a fifth set with a 25-22 win.
Although Army gained an early 3-1 lead, a block by the combination of Lowe and
Hailey Horn-Bostel tied it at 4s. As the Raiders gained a 7-5 advantage with their defensive play at the net, Army called their timeout. Coming out of it, a Black Knight block tied it at the midway point of 8s. Continuing to carry the momentum, back-to-back blocks by Thompson was able to close out the five-set comeback with a 15-9 win.
STATISTICAL STANDOUTS
• After posting 17 in her sophomore season, setter
Julia Kurowski notched the first double-double of her junior year. It was made by 19 assists and a team-high of 14 digs. Kurowski also led the team with a pair of service aces.
• At the net, first-year
Libby Overmyer made an impact with a team-high of 10 kills while swinging for a .261 hitting percentage. Matching her 10 kills was junior
Ellen Hamlin, who also added nine digs.
• Defensively, the team's 15 total blocks were led by sophomore
Sophie Thompson who stopped a team-high of three solo blocks and added five block assists. Thompson's eight total blocks is a career-best, surpassing the seven at Holy Cross on Nov. 3, 2019.
• All four first-years made an appearance in the opening match, including
Gillian Hauschild who earned five total blocks paired with five kills.
• Overall, the Patriot League foes battled through a total of 21 tie scored and five lead changes on the night, including a game-high of seven ties in the fourth set as the Raiders forced a fifth.
• Colgate's most effective game on the attack came in the fifth as the team posted a .316 team hitting percentage.
THE BOTTOM LINE
• Colgate 3, Army 2 (23-25, 12-25, 25-14, 25-22, 15-9)
RECORD UPDATES
• Colgate opens the season with a 1-0 record in Patriot League play.
• Army begins Patriot League play 0-1.
HEAD COACH RYAN BAKER'S TAKE
"We came out very flat against a really good Army team. Army is good at every position and they put us on our heels from the first serve. I was really proud of the toughness and response we showed. Our first-years made some big plays coming off the bench and Sophie was a physical presence on the net for us at key moments.
"I have a feeling this is going to be a season of matches like this. Every night is going to be a battle. We need to recover quickly and get ready for a very talented Army team again on Sunday."
UP NEXT
The Raiders face their first road contest as they conclude the series against Army with a 4 p.m. first serve on Sunday in West Point, N.Y.
FOLLOW THE RAIDERS
For more information on the Colgate volleyball program, follow the Raiders on Twitter @ColgateVB and on Instagram at Colgate_VB.
