RALEIGH, N.C. – Colgate came out on opposite ends of 3-0 scores in a doubleheader at NC State on Friday, sweeping Elon in the opener before falling to the host Wolfpack in the nightcap.
Colgate's 3-0 win over Elon marked its second sweep of the season after knocking off UMBC last Saturday. The Raiders took NC State to the limit in a back-and-forth nightcap and will face their third power five opponent of the season Saturday morning against Tennessee.
COLGATE 3, ELON 0
Set 1: Colgate 25, Elon 16
Colgate raced out to a 5-1 lead in the first set thanks to kills from Athena Leota and Sophie Thompson. Elon climbed back to tie things at 10-10 before the Raiders used a pair of 3-0 scoring runs, sparked by an ace from Rachael Martinez, to build a 19-14 advantage. Colgate closed with an 8-2 scoring run and a kill from Libby Overmyer capped off the 25-16 victory.
Set 2: Colgate 25, Elon 20
A back-and-forth start to the second set once again saw things tied at 11-11. Colgate staged a similar 3-0 momentum shift after three consecutive attack errors from Elon handed the Raiders the lead for good. The margin trimmed down to 16-15 but Colgate answered with four of the following five points in large part due to Elon's attacking errors. Abby Shadwick and Gillian Hauschild hammered home a pair of kills to finish Colgate's second-set victory.
Set 3: Colgate 25, Elon 22
The third and deciding set started off with similar back-and-forth action until the Raiders used a 5-1 run midway through the set. Overmyer and Hauschild posted kills in that stretch to establish an 18-14 lead for the Raiders. Elon cut it to a one-point margin twice at 18-17 and 20-19 before Colgate scored four of the final five points. A kill from Overmyer put the match away with the Raiders securing their second consecutive sweep by a final score of 25-22.
NC STATE 3, COLGATE 0
Set 1: NC State 25, Colgate 19
Colgate fought hard through the opening set, staying within 10-7 after a kill by Shadwick. Another slam from Overmyer closed the gap to 15-13 midway through the set before NC State pulled away with six of the next seven points to build a 24-16 advantage. Colgate scored three straight points to stay alive but an NC State kill gave the home team a 25-19 first-set win.
Set 2: NC State 25, Colgate 18
NC State jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead and never looked back in the second set. A pair of errant sets allowed the Raiders to close with 9-6 and then a kill by Overmyer brought the Raiders within three 11-8. That was still the margin after a service error made it 16-13 but the Wolfpack countered with six of the next eight points and pulled away, 25-18.
Set 3: NC State 27, Colgate 25
Colgate fought to the bitter end in the third set, which featured 16 ties in the back-and-forth frame. Neither team led by more than two points the whole way through. Colgate jumped in front, 23-22, thanks to a kill by Hauschild, but the Wolfpack scored the next two points to regain the lead. Sydney Jones kept Colgate alive with a kill to survive match point and tie things at 25-25, but NC State finished it off with back-to-back points to take the third set, 27-25.
FROM THE SOURCE
Head Coach Ryan Baker
"We played some really good volleyball against a really strong Elon team. Our defensive effort was special and it led to good offense. I was really proud of us. We battled hard against an ACC school and showed we belonged on the big stage. We didn't come away with the win, but we have a lot of positives to build upon."
UP NEXT
Colgate (2-3) closes out the weekend with an 11 a.m. first serve against Tennessee on Saturday.
