HAMILTON – Clean play and an aggressive offensive lifted the Colgate volleyball program to a 3-0 sweep of Lafayette on Sunday evening.
With the win, the Raiders extend to a six-match win streak behind a 7-1 record on the year as they begin to set their sights on the Patriot League Tournament.
HOW IT HAPPENED
In their impressive first set start, the Raiders gained a 15-11 advantage midway through after
Alli Lowe capped a 5-1 run with a center court kill. A clean game that highlighted a .588 team hitting percentage, Colgate outscored the Leopards 7-3 to close out the set behind a flashy kill by
Athena Leota for a 25-17 victory.
The second game opened point-for-point until the first ace of the match was landed by Lowe. It was followed by a block assist by
Harper Snyder and
Libby Overmyer at the net to put Colgate ahead 5-3 early, effectively igniting the bench. Clean kills sent to the floor as the Raiders hit the midway point on a three-point run for a 15-13 advantage. Although they battled through a game-high of eight tie scores and four lead changes, the Raiders were able to whittle any Lafayette momentum to claim the 25-19 victory.
With their sights set on the sweep, Colgate's third game featured another pair of aces and big blocks. In another early point-for-point battle, Lafayette looked to force its way back into the match, until a fiery solo block by Snyder lit the Colgate squad at a 13-12 advantage. The Raiders finally inched ahead by three midway through at 16-13 with the Lafayette touch out of bounds, before they went ahead by four with the block by Leota and
Sophie Thompson. After a 5-1 run, another Leota cross-court kill to the back corner cracked Colgate into the 20s carrying a four-point edge.
Even with the space for Colgate late in the game, Lafayette battled back within one at 23-22, but a center court kill by Lowe lifted the Raiders to match point. It was Thompson who then closed it out with a swift swing to seal the sweep in the league matchup.
STATISTICAL STANDOUTS
• Leading the team offensively was senior
Alli Lowe with 18 kills while swinging for a .457 hitting percentage. With the performance, Lowe moved into third all-time in program history with her 1,319 kills in her career.
• Defensively, senior
Bridget Kolsky recorded her third 20-plus dig performance of the season and second straight behind 21. She also moved into fifth all-time in program history with her 1,221 digs in her career.
• Making an impact early in her career, first-year
Libby Overmyer recorded 10 kills while hitting a .389 percentage. It marked her fifth double-digit kill match of the season.
• Fellow first-year
Harper Snyder posted six kills while hitting .500, paired with a team-high of three total blocks.
• In one of her strongest matches of the season, sophomore
Athena Leota marked a season-high of nine kills while posting a .600 hitting percentage.
• As a team, the Raiders marked an impressive .588 team hitting percentage paired with a 13-for-17 sideout in the opening game. The squad ultimately posted a season-best team hitting percentage of .427 on the night.
• As the program's lone graduating senior, the Raiders honored
Bridget Kolsky before the match for Senior Day as the Class of 2021.
THE BOTTOM LINE
• Colgate 3, Lafayette 0 (25-17, 25-19, 25-22)
RECORD UPDATES
• Colgate now holds a 7-1 Patriot League record.
• Lafayette drops to 2-5 in league play.
HEAD COACH RYAN BAKER'S TAKE
"This was one of our best attacking nights of the season thus far. Julia [Kurowski] set a very good match and our hitters were attacking with great range. I felt we handled a tough serving team which allowed us to do what we did.
On graduating senior Bridget Kolsky: "Bridget had 21 digs which is a testament to her hard work and commitment to getting better. Her leadership throughout her career has been special to watch and a great deal of our success can be attributed to her and the other captains."
UP NEXT
After the cancellation of the Raiders' two-game series against Bucknell, they have a bye the weekend of March 26-28. Pending no additions to the schedule, the Raiders prepare for the 2020-21 Patriot League Tournament on April 2-3.
FOLLOW THE RAIDERS
For more information on the Colgate volleyball program, follow the Raiders on Twitter @ColgateVB and on Instagram at Colgate_VB.
