LOS ANGELES – A valiant effort on opening day for Colgate Volleyball.
Fresh off its first Patriot League championship since 2012, the Raiders faced two opponents who last year combined to win 30 games – including USC, which came into the season ranked No. 24. All of this after ending last season against eventual national champion Wisconsin.
Colgate pushed Villanova to the brink before dropping a five-set marathon. Four of the five sets were decided by two points, including the fourth set that went to extras. The Raiders held a 2-1 set lead before dropping the final two decisions, 26-24 and 16-14.
The Raiders held early leads in each of the first two sets against the 24th-ranked Trojans but ultimately succumbed to middle-stage runs. USC claimed the victory in three sets, 25-13, 25-20, and 25-12.
Libby Overmyer paced the Raiders with 28 kills, including a career-high 23 against Villanova. Julia Kurowski, the Patriot League Preseason Setter of the Year, finished with 33 assists. Taylor Cigna led defensively with 29 digs, while Kurowski, Sophie Thompson, and Abby Shadwick each had three blocks.
Villanova 3, Colgate 2
Colgate came out buzzing thanks to the outside presence from Preseason All-League selections Overmyer and Kurowski. Overmyer was a force at the net, posting 23 kills, and Kurowski registered a double-double with 26 assists and 13 kills.
Shadwick also notched a double-double behind 12 kills and 11 digs. Kurowski, Shadwick, and Thompson each tallied three blocks. Cigna shined in the season debut with a match-high 27 digs to go with four assists. Sydney Jones added a match-high 27 assists.
The Raiders took the first set, 25-17, and rallied to lead 2-1 after claiming a 25-23 victory in the third set. After the decisive opening-set triumph, the final four sets were all decided by two points. Unfortunately, the last two went to the Wildcats and they fought back for the 3-2 win.
Playing to 15 in the winner-take-all fifth set, Villanova raced out to an early 5-1 lead. The Wildcats were in front 10-5 before Colgate stormed back once more. A Shadwick ace capped a 6-1 scoring run that clawed the Raiders all the way back to 11-11. It was tied at 12s, 13s, and 14s before the Wildcats scored the final two points to pull off the comeback victory.
#24 USC 3, Colgate 0
Colgate took advantage of early errors and stayed even 8-8 in the early portions of the first set. The Trojans, however, found their footing and scored 10 of the next 11 points. Overmyer's kill cut the gap to 21-12, but the home team put the opening set to bed with a kill to seal it, 25-13.
The two teams went back and forth in the second set, with early ties at 11-11, 12-12, and 13-13, before USC scored three straight points to build a 16-13 advantage. Three straight kills from Overmyer, Kurowski, and Gillian Hauschild trimmed the margin to 21-19, but USC scored four of the final five points to secure the second set, 25-20.
After the narrow second-set decision, USC jumped out to an early 5-1 lead and never looked back in the final frame. Greta Hoogstra's kill brought the Raiders within 18-9 but that was as close as they would get. The Trojans carried their momentum to the finish line with a 25-12 final.
Colgate was held to a .050 hitting percentage while USC posted a .457 clip.
FROM THE SOURCE
Head Coach Ryan Baker
"This looked like opening-weekend volleyball. There were some really good parts and some not-so-good parts. We are still trying to figure out who we are as a team, which takes some time. Preseason is about being exposed and figuring things out."
UP NEXT
The Raiders close out opening weekend Saturday night with an 8 p.m. ET first serve against UMBC. The Retrievers knocked off Villanova in their opening match, 3-1.
