BETHLEHEM, Pa. – It was a narrow start as the Colgate volleyball program faced off against Lehigh on Sunday evening. By gaining the first set win after 12 tie score battles, the Raiders had momentum to run ahead for a dominant 25-11 victory in the third game and claim their second straight sweep of Lehigh.
Colgate heads into its bye week, before returning to Patriot League play in a home-and-home series with Holy Cross March 12-14.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The match opened with one of seven service aces, the first by first-year
Taylor Cigna. After a narrow start and tie score at 4-4, Colgate finally started to inch ahead as an
Athena Leota kill lifted the Raiders to a 20-18 lead. The momentum carried Colgate to an opening set win of 25-20.
As timely aces continued to be key, the second game opened with back-to-back aces by
Bridget Kolsky for a 5-3 lead. As Lehigh gained a one-point advantage midway through,
Alli Lowe answered with a kill off the block to regain the lead at 10-9. As the Raiders rolled ahead to a 21-16 advantage it was looking like a quick game, until Lehigh went on a five-point run to tie the set at 21s. To put Colgate back on top,
Libby Overmyer was ready with a kill to the back row, and even after Lehigh tied it up yet again at 23s, Lowe landed a center court kill to claim the 25-23 victory.
With their sights set on the sweep, the Colgate squad came out with unreal energy to build an 8-1 lead. A monster of a kill by
Harper Snyder increased Colgate's lead to a dominant 17-7 mark before she followed it up with a decisive block after pairing up with Lowe at the net. Ultimately running ahead with their momentum, it was
Sophie Thompson who recorded the final kill off the block to win the game 25-11 and complete the sweep.
STATISTICAL STANDOUTS
• Leading the offense was senior
Alli Lowe as she recorded a season-high of 14 kills while swinging .387. She also added a pair of aces for four on the weekend.
• Recording a season-high of 36 assists was junior setter
Julia Kurowski. A well-rounded performance, Kurowski also added three block assists and an ace to her scoreline.
• In the back row, senior
Bridget Kolsky led the squad with 12 digs, along with a team-high of three service aces. She totaled six aces on the weekend with three in each sweep.
• Also strong in the back row was first-year libero
Taylor Cigna with a 10-dig performance paired with an ace.
• Fellow first-years
Harper Snyder and
Libby Overmyer stood out at the net as they earned seven and six kills, respectively.
• After a first-set battle that included 12 tie scores and four lead changes, Colgate played a clean game in the third that included just one tie score. It was a game in which the Raiders pushed Lehigh to swing for a negative hitting percentage at -.167.
• Colgate now extends to a seven-game win streak in the head-to-head series against Lehigh, which includes six sweeps of the Mountain Hawks.
THE BOTTOM LINE
• Colgate 3, Lehigh 0 (25-20, 25-23, 25-11)
RECORD UPDATES
• Colgate improves to a 3-1 Patriot League record.
• Lehigh stands at 0-2 on the season.
HEAD COACH RYAN BAKER'S TAKE
"Our seniors led the way on the road and the team followed. It was a big step for us.Our back court was good in all areas, as Taylor [Cigna], Bridget [Kolsky], and Cami [Carfino] were big pieces today."
UP NEXT
After the upcoming bye weekend, the Raiders return home to Cotterell Court on Friday, March 12 to host Holy Cross in the series opener. After the first serve on Friday at 5 p.m., the series takes to the road for the Sunday, March 14 finale in Worcester, Mass.
FOLLOW THE RAIDERS
For more information on the Colgate volleyball program, follow the Raiders on Twitter @ColgateVB and on Instagram at Colgate_VB.
