HAMILTON – Julia Kurowski broke the program record for career assists and Colgate earned a hard-fought 3-1 victory over Bucknell to complete another weekend sweep Saturday afternoon at Cotterell Court.
Kurowski passed Meghan Fanta '10 for the most assists in program history and now stands alone at the top of the record book with 3,955 for her career. She also moved into seventh all-time in the Patriot League, passing Fanta, who previously held Colgate's record with 3,945.
Kurowski's record-setting day came on the strength of a triple-double. The graduate student from Lancaster, N.Y., registered 19 assists, 11 digs, and 10 kills.
Gillian Hauschild and Carlie Rzeszotarski paced the Raiders with 12 kills apiece, while Abby Shadwick capped a double-double with 11 kills and 11 digs. Taylor Cigna led the defense with 23 digs on the afternoon. Harper Snyder and Rzeszotarski finished with two blocks apiece.
With the win, the Raiders reached the 20-win plateau for the second time in four years. Colgate sits in first place in the Patriot League standings with three regular-season matches left.
Set 1: Colgate 25, Bucknell 12
Colgate dominated the opening set on the strength of a .393 hitting percentage. The Raider defense kept the Bison to a .000 hitting clip behind five blocks, including two each from Rzeszotarski and Snyder. Multiple runs carried Colgate's lead to double-digits, but it was a 12-3 spurt that put the set out of reach. Rzeszotarski had a pair of kills on both ends of the surge before two Bucknell errors pushed the Raiders over the top, 25-12.
Set 2: Bucknell 25, Colgate 22
Bucknell pulled away late for the upper hand in a seesaw second set. Kills from Shadwick and Sydney Jones pushed the Raiders in front early, 8-4, but Bucknell turned things around to draw even, 8-8. The back-and-forth battle was tied again at 16-16 when the visitors scored three unanswered points and the Bison held on to level the match at one set apiece.
Set 3: Colgate 25, Bucknell 20
Greta Hoogstra's kill sparked an early 10-5 edge in the third set. After doubling up the Bison early, Bucknell inched its way back with a 4-0 surge behind three consecutive kills. The Raiders bent but didn't break, countering with back-to-back kills from Hauschild. Bucknell closed within two points, but never closer than that, and Snyder's dunk sealed the third set, 25-20.
Set 4: Colgate 25, Bucknell 23
Both teams showed poise during a wild back-and-forth final set. Colgate and Bucknell went point-for-point throughout the frame with neither side leading by more than two points until a kill from Shadwick put the Raiders in front 21-18. Bucknell scored three straight points to tie it at 22-22 and then again kept the score even at 23-23. Colgate hung tough, scoring the final two points on kills from Shadwick and Kurowski, to win the match, 25-23.
FROM THE SOURCE
Head Coach Ryan Baker
"We grinded this win out. Bucknell played hard and challenged us from start to finish. They are well-coached and had a great game plan. Fortunately, we made the plays we needed to make when we needed to make them.
"I am very happy for Julia. It's a tremendous accomplishment and one that she has earned through work and preparation. Julia embodies what it means to work for your dreams. I've treasured my time working with her."
UP NEXT
Colgate (20-4, 12-1 PL) stays home to welcome Holy Cross next Friday for a 6 p.m. tilt at Cotterell Court. The Raiders then head to West Point for a Sunday showdown at second-place Army with significant playoff implications on the line.
