WEST POINT, N.Y. — Colgate's five-match win streak and unbeaten start to Patriot League play came to an end with a 3-1 hard-fought loss to Army on Sunday afternoon inside Gillis Field House.
Colgate won the first set before the Black Knights answered with the final three frames, including an unforgettable fourth set that saw 20 lead changes before the home team prevailed. The Raiders finished the contest with a .186 hitting percentage, while Army held the slight advantage with a .236 clip.
Milan Bayless led the team with a double-double effort of 13 kills and 16 digs along with five block assists. Sydney Jones (26 assists, 17 digs) and Deren Cukur (15 assists, 16 digs) also recorded double-doubles while Greta Hoogstra continued defensive dominance with seven block assists.
COACH BAKER'S COMMENTS
"Give credit to Army, they showed some great fight today. Their left sides had a big night and we had no answers at times. Winning on the road is tough and today showed just that. We will watch some film and get back to work in what will be another week of great league play."
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1 | Colgate 25, Army 22
Colgate used a strong finish to take the opening set in West Point. Trailing 18-16, Hoogstra landed a pair of kills in a 3-0 spurt to give the Raiders the lead for good. Libby Overmyer drilled home four kills and delivered three service aces to lead the offensive attack. Colgate hit .275 overall while registering a pair of blocks and limiting Army to a .240 clip in the 25-22 victory.
Set 2 | Army 25, Colgate 12
Colgate scored the first point but then Army flipped the momentum with six straight points and 13 of the next 14 points to build a commanding 13-2 advantage that cost Coach Baker both of his timeouts in the set. Kills from Overmyer and Tiana Owens in a 3-0 Colgate run cut the gap to 19-11 but the Black Knights ran away with the frame to snap Colgate's 10-set win streak, 25-12.
Set 3 | Army 25, Colgate 22
Another seesaw battle in Set 3 did not go Colgate's way. The Raiders led for most of the term after kills from Bayless and Owens capped a 3-0 spurt with a 14-11 advantage. Army trailed 18-14 when the home team found a 6-1 surge to draw even 19-19. The Raiders reclaimed the lead 21-20 but the Black Knights scored five of the final six points to take a 2-1 lead in the match.
Set 4 | Army 31, Colgate 29
A wild fourth set saw both teams ride momentum swings with multiple chances at set point. Colgate had first crack at it with a 24-23 lead but Army countered with back-to-back points – a trend that would continue. A block by Frances Torres and Lal Akin kept the Raiders alive and it went back-and-forth with tie scores of 26-26, 27-27, 28-28, and 29-29. The Raiders led 29-28 after a kill by Bayless, but the home team scored the final three points to seal the comeback.
UP NEXT
Colgate (7-9, 5-1 Patriot) hits the road to face Loyola at 7 p.m. on Friday, before returning home to host Bucknell in a battle of the top two teams in the Patriot League at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
