LEWISBURG, Pa. – Sydney Jones' service ace sealed the fifth set and Colgate held on to defeat Bucknell 3-2 Sunday afternoon in a back-and-forth Patriot League battle at Davis Gym.
The Raiders cruised to an early 2-0 lead but Bucknell countered to take the next two sets. In the first-to-15 winner-take-all Set 5, Colgate needed a late rally to remain unbeaten. The Bison had match point with a 14-13 lead, but the Raiders scored the final three points. Back-to-back attack errors gave Colgate a 15-14 lead, and then Jones' ace capped off the victory.
Colgate (11-3, 4-0 PL) has now won nine in a row after handing Bucknell (10-3, 3-1 PL) its first home and league loss of the season. After Colgate dominated the first two sets, the match evened out with the Raiders hitting .247 and Bucknell finishing .222 for the contest.
Carlie Rzeszotarski (14) and Athena Leota (13) paced the Raiders in kills, while defensively Harper Snyder accounted for seven block assists. Julia Kurowski, Leota, and Sophie Thompson each had three block assists as Colgate racked up 20 for the match. Taylor Cigna registered a season-high 22 digs, while Kurowski (26) and Jones (22) combined for 48 assists.
Set 1: Colgate 25, Bucknell 15
Colgate's defense set the tone in the opening set. Kurowski and Snyder teamed up for a block before Rzeszotarski and Snyder added another as part of a 5-2 run to build a 16-11 lead. Cigna dotted a pair of service aces to spark a late 3-0 run and Caroline Altergott finished it off with a kill to carry the Raiders to a 25-15 opening triumph.
Set 2: Colgate 25, Bucknell 19
Colgate bested its .355 hitting percentage in Set 1 with a .359 clip in the second set. Kurowski and Snyder each had two kills in an 11-3 scoring spurt to start the frame. The Raiders had the Bison doubled up 16-8 thanks to a kill by Thompson. Bucknell scored three consecutive points to close within 24-19 but Leota capped it off with a kill to give Colgate a 2-0 lead.
Set 3: Bucknell 25, Colgate 19
Bucknell raced out to an early lead and never looked back in the third set. The Bison scored three consecutive points to build a 12-7 lead and pushed it to 17-10 on an attack error. After Colgate only had two combined errors in the first two sets, the Raiders committed four in the third set to help the Bison get on the board with their first set victory.
Set 4: Bucknell 25, Colgate 19
The same score in Sets 3 and 4 went to the Bison, who broke away from a 15-15 tie with a 6-0 scoring run to take the lead for good. Colgate responded with three of the next four points, but the Bison put it away with a kill by Bri Frazilus to draw even at two sets apiece.
Set 5: Colgate 16, Bucknell 14
The fifth and final set had a little bit of everything. Bucknell scored the first three points, Colgate scored the next three, and then it was a back-and-forth battle with tie scores at 10-10 and 12-12. Back-to-back kills from Jen Sivak and Catherine Jamison gave the Bison match point with a 14-13 lead, but Colgate scored the final three points. A pair of attack errors gave Colgate the 15-14 edge before Jones clinched the win with her fourth ace of the match.
FROM THE SOURCE
Head Coach Ryan Baker
"I am extremely proud of this team's effort and resiliency. We've been battling some illnesses over the past two weeks. It was incredible to see our players step up and compete. Our depth truly showed. This is a special group. Bucknell is a well-coached team and executes very well. This was a fun match to be a part of."
UP NEXT
Colgate (11-3, 4-0 PL) puts its nine-match winning streak to the test Friday night when the Raiders host Army at 6 p.m. at Cotterell Court. ESPN+ is carrying the livestream.
