HAMILTON – Colgate Volleyball extended its home winning streak to 30 with a 3-0 sweep of Loyola on Saturday afternoon at Cotterell Court. The 30-match home win streak is a program record.
Colgate's home winning streak, which began in September 2021, features two Patriot League championships and an unblemished 12-0 season mark at Cotterell Court in 2022. The Raiders have won eight in a row overall and sit atop the Patriot League standings with a 4-0 league mark.
"After last night's emotional win, I was proud of how we played today," said head coach Ryan Baker after the Raiders bested Navy in a five-set thriller Friday night. "Loyola is one of the best defensive teams in the league so I was very happy with our offensive production. Sydney set a really good match for us and it allowed us to find a good rhythm."
Sydney Jones finished with 28 of Colgate's 31 assists, contributing to the team's .306 hitting percentage – its highest mark in Patriot League play this season. Sophie Thompson posted four block assists and she's now nine away from Autumn McKenzie's program record of 371. Gillian Hauschild led the team with nine kills to go with a team-best .500 hitting percentage.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1: Colgate 28, Loyola 26
Colgate used an early 5-0 surge to break away from a one-point tussle. Libby Overmyer capped off the run with a pair of service aces to push the Raiders in front 15-7. Loyola worked its way back into the match, forcing a Colgate timeout after the lead dwindled down to 20-18. The Greyhounds extended the match with a 3-0 spurt before back-to-back kills from Carlie Rzeszotarski and Abby Shadwick gave the Raiders the first set victory, 28-26.
Set 2: Colgate 25, Loyola 15
The Raiders raced out to an early 6-0 lead and never looked back in the second set. An ace from Jones had the Greyhounds doubled up, 14-7, and Taylor Cigna added another from the service line to stretch the lead to 18-10. Loyola scored three unanswered points before Overmyer closed out the set with a kill to the right side and Colgate cruised to the 25-15 victory.
Set 3: Colgate 25, Loyola 16
Colgate's momentum continued to the third and final set of the match. Back-to-back kills from Hauschild ignited a 4-0 burst and Colgate built a 7-3 margin. The Raiders took control of the set with a 7-0 run thanks to six consecutive attack errors on Loyola's side. Harper Snyder and Overmyer delivered a block during the run that gave the Raiders a 20-11 lead. Hauschild and Shadwick landed three more kills down the stretch to complete the weekend sweep, 25-16.
UP NEXT
Colgate (10-4, 4-0 Patriot) returns to non-conference action Tuesday for a road tilt at Binghamton at 6 p.m. The Raiders are back home for Patriot League play next weekend, hosting Army Saturday at 5 p.m. and Holy Cross Sunday at 1 p.m.
