COLUMBIA, Mo. – Another stifling defensive effort led Colgate to a 3-0 sweep of Illinois State Saturday afternoon inside the Hearnes Center.
"This was a total team win in all regards," Head Coach Ryan Baker said after the win. "Our block and defense were in total sync. Illinois State is perennially in contention for conference championships and well coached. We expected a great match and it didn't disappoint. We were locked in from start to finish. Our setters did a good job with distribution and our middles and right sides took some great swings. I was very proud of our effort tonight."
The Raiders capitalized on their opportunities defensively, holding Illinois State to a .019 hitting percentage. Sophie Thompson anchored Colgate's efforts with 10 block assists to go with a team-best seven kills. Colgate registered 26 block assists for the second time in as many nights.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Colgate took the lead for good in the opening set with a 4-0 surge sparked by a kill from Carlie Rzeszotarski. Two attack errors preceded a kill by Sydney Jones to push the Raiders in front 10-7. Back-to-back points from the Redbirds trimmed the margin to 15-13 before a kill from Milan Bayless highlighted a 3-0 response from the Raiders. Colgate stretched its lead to 23-15 before a kill from Gillian Hauschild and an attack error capped off the opening frame.
Three early 4-0 runs fueled Colgate's dominant second set. Thompson and Hauschild capped off the final surge with a block assist to push the Raiders out front 14-6. Illinois State marched back with a 4-0 run of its own to force a Colgate timeout with the score 19-14. The Raiders closed out the set with a 6-1 response and Frances Torres' kill finished it off, 25-15.
Improving as the match wore on, Colgate's momentum carried over to the final set. Three separate 3-0 runs fueled a 15-10 lead at the media timeout after Rzeszotarski's service ace. The Redbirds scored four unanswered points late in the frame to tie things up at 19-19. It was tied again at 20-20 before Colgate finished off the match with a 5-0 streak. Kills from Thompson and Rzeszotarski sealed the sweep with the Raiders clinching the third set, 25-20.
UP NEXT
Colgate (2-0) closes out the weekend Sunday at Missouri (2-0), which is coming off a 3-2 comeback win over Central Arkansas late Saturday night. First serve is set for 1 p.m. ET
