BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Colgate (4-8, 2-0) dropped the second set to Lehigh (7-4, 1-1), but took the remaining sets to finish off a perfect opening weekend of Patriot League action.
Milan Bayless continued her recent dominance by leading the team with 15 kills, followed by Abby Shadwick with nine. Greta Hoogstra landed seven kills with a .500 hitting percentage along with five blocks on the defensive end.
Deren Cukur led the team with 25 assists, plus she added 10 digs for a double-double performance. Lal Akin contributed four blocks in the balanced effort. Colgate as a team hit .298 for the match with 52 kills. Lehigh finished with a .173 clip.
Lehigh came into the match riding a three-game win streak, which included a reverse sweep over Army on Friday night.
COACH BAKER'S COMMENTS
"What a great result on the road. Patriot League road wins are hard to come by so this is a big opening weekend. The team showed a lot of fight which is a testament to their continued work in the practice gym. We will get back to work on Monday and build off this weekend."
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1 | Colgate 25, Lehigh 22
The Raiders jumped out to a 17-14 lead, which they held for the rest of the set to take the opener. Bayless and Shadwick each had three kills, which combined with the squad's .333 hitting percentage and only four attack errors led to the Raiders starting strong.
Set 2 | Lehigh 25, Colgate 20
The Mountain Hawks, led by 15 kills, took the second set 25-20 over the Raiders. Colgate only had a .146 hitting percentage for the set, which Lehigh took advantage of.
Set 3 | Colgate 25, Lehigh 15
Colgate bounced back from the second set, taking the third 25-15. Bayless continued her strong performance with five kills, while Sydney Jones contributed seven assists, a kill, and a block.
Set 4 | Colgate 25, Lehigh 16
The Raiders finished off the match with a very strong fourth set, where they led 14-7 and never looked back. The Mountain Hawks only had a .091 hitting percentage, which Colgate took advantage of, along with three kills by Frances Torres.
UP NEXT
Colgate returns to Cotterell Court for a Patriot League championship rematch against American set for Friday night at 6 p.m. The Raiders stay home to welcome Navy on Saturday at 5 p.m.
