NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Colgate (2-5) won the final three sets, including a 25-8 landslide victory in the fourth and final frame, to take down Fairfield (2-5) 3-1 in the Yale Invitational opener on Friday night inside John J. Lee Amphitheater.
Abby Shadwick put up a dominant line with 19 kills, two service aces, two block assists, and eight digs to go along with a .429 hitting percentage. The Patriot League Preseason Player of the Year led Colgate's offense that finished the night with a .312 clip. Fairfield posted a .061 hitting percentage.
COACH BAKER'S COMMENTS
"This was a great team win. Our setters did a good job with the offense and we had a very strong blocking match. It was some of our cleanest volleyball, especially the last two sets. Fairfield is a storied program. This was a very good win against a program that knows how to win and is used to winning. We will have to put together another good match tomorrow."
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1 | Fairfield 25, Colgate 19
Colgate was slow to get going and Fairfield built an early lead that it did not relinquish. The Stags opened a 7-3 edge and extended the margin to 16-10 on one of seven Colgate attack errors in the opening frame. The Stags paired a .351 hitting percentage with three blocks in the balanced performance to take the first set, 25-19.
Set 2 | Colgate 25, Fairfield 14
Lal Akin drilled five kills in the second set and Colgate ran away with the frame to draw even. The Raiders raced out to a 10-2 lead on kills from Akin, Milan Bayless, and Tiana Owens. Fairfield's timeouts didn't stop Colgate's charge with kills from Sydney Jones and Akin pushing the lead to 21-12. Akin landed another kill down the stretch to seal the 25-14 dominant victory.
Set 3 | Fairfield 25, Fairfield 21
The Raiders used a 4-0 burst to take the lead for good 10-6 after a kill by Frances Torres. A pair of errors by Fairfield allowed Colgate to stretch its lead to 17-11, and then a service ace from Jones later in the frame kept the margin at six points 20-14. The Stags made a late run to close the gap to 24-21 before a kill by Bayless gave the Raiders a 2-1 lead in the match.
Set 4 | Colgate 25, Fairfield 8
Shadwick absolutely took over in the fourth and final set. She registered five kills overall, and a service ace that gave Colgate a commanding 18-5 advantage. That was part of a wild 9-0 burst that stretched the advantage to 20-5. The Stags scored a couple points late in the set before a kill from Torres finished off the dominant set, 25-8, giving Colgate the 3-1 victory.
UP NEXT
Colgate continues action in the Yale Invitational on Saturday with a 2 p.m. matchup against Villanova.
