Colgate’s volleyball team went 2-1 last week, winning a heart-stopping game against Cornell and sweeping away Holy Cross before dropping an exciting match to Army in three games.

Cornell won two of the first three games, but Colgate rallied to force a fifth game, in which the Big Red went up 12-11, only for the Raiders to win three points in a row, making it 14-12. Cornell would not go down meekly, however, tying the game at 14. But sophomore Merryl Pohl won a key point to give Colgate the lead, and the Raiders then clinched the match 16-14. Pohl had six kills overall. Sophomore Katrina Zawojski had a match-best 20 kills, along with seven digs and five total blocks.

Colgate then dominated the Crusaders in extending its winning streak to three matches. First-year Kelsea Loveless recorded a match-high 14 kills and .480 hitting percentage. The Raiders easily won the first game 30-13. The second game was close early, with several lead changes. However, Colgate used an 11-5 run to turn a 10-9 deficit into a 20-14 lead they would not relinquish, winning the game 30-22. The Raiders cruised in the third game, leading by as many as 11 points and winning 30-22.

Junior Erin Kanetzke and Zawojski each had 11 kills for Colgate. Zawojski also had 10 digs to record her eighth double-double of the season. First-year Meghan Fanta had 44 assists and 12 digs to record her ninth double-double.

Army, who is second in the Patriot League, and Colgate fought to a virtual stalemate for their entire match. Each game came down to the very end, decided by only two or three points. Unfortunately for the Raiders, the Black Knights managed to win nearly all of the key points, sweeping them 30-28, 30-27, and 30-28.

Loveless again led the Raider attack with 14 kills, and contributed 10 digs on defense. Her outstanding weekend led to her second Patriot League Rookie of the Week award this season. Zawojski had 10 kills and 10 digs, and Kanetzke had nine kills. Fanta had 40 assists and 12 digs, while sophomore Jackie Adlam had 26 digs. Army’s Briana Stremick led all players in kills with 18.

The Raiders are now 12-11 overall, 4-5 in league play. After a midweek visit to Binghamton, they play their final two home matches this weekend against Lehigh and Lafayette.