It has undoubtedly been a trying season for the Colgate volleyball team, and the latest week of play has provided no remedies for the team’s losing ways.

The Raiders traveled to Ithaca for the Cornell tournament last weekend for matches against Butler, Cornell and La Salle. Just one week removed from their lone win of the season, a 3-1 triumph over Providence in the Colgate Invitational, the Raiders were hoping to gain momentum and add a second victory to the win column. Unfortunately, that was not the case.

In the opening match of the tournament against Butler, things began on a positive note: as the Raiders took the match’s first game, 30-27. However, the team could not maintained its performance throughout the remainder of the match. The Bulldogs won the final three games to claim a 3-1 victory.

All was not bad news, though: first-year Jackie Adlam achieved a career-high 36 digs, while classmate Katrina Zawojski recorded 19 kills and 13 digs – her third double-double of the year. Senior Allie Nichols also added a double-double, with 29 assists and 11 digs in the loss.

In the second match of the tournament, the Raiders played host Cornell. Following a 30-20 opening game defeat, things spiraled downhill quickly. The Big Red completed the sweep with 30-19 and 30-14 victories. Leading the way for Colgate was Nichols, who had 26 assists, and Adlam, who had a match-high 19 digs.

In its third match, Colgate faced off against La Salle. The Explorers, led by solid defense, cruised to a 30-24, 30-23 and 30-20 sweep of the Raiders. In the match, Adlam recorded 14 digs – her seventh consecutive game in double digits – while Zawojski racked up 15 kills and 12 digs, bringing her tournament total to an impressive 49 kills and 30 digs. She was the lone Colgate representative on the All-Tournament team.

After a disappointing showing at the Cornell Tournament, the Raiders returned home to face Syracuse on Tuesday night. The Orange proved to be too strong, however, sweeping the match, 30-22, 30-17 and 30-19. Zawojski one again led the Raider attack, accumulating a match-high 10 kills in the loss. Defensively, Adlam dominated again, recording 19 digs – her eighth consecutive match with at least 10.

Colgate’s overall record has dropped to 1-12. All is not lost, however, as the Patriot League season is about to get underway. Head Coach Jenna Panatier is still confident in her team.

“As the season progresses, our team’s depth is growing,” Panatier said. “Our box scores have been tracking our steady improvements and soon they will also be expressed in our win column.”

The Raiders begin Patriot League play this weekend with important matches at Navy and American. The team’s next home game will be on Friday at 7:00 p.m. against Holy Cross.