Volleyball Wins Two But Loses Final At Colgate Invitational

Volleyball Wins Two But Loses Final At Colgate Invitational

The Colgate Volleyball team had a mixed week, winning two straight matches but then losing two straight. The Raiders beat Hartford and Quinnipiac to open the Colgate Invitational, but then lost both their final game of the tournament to Canisius, as well as a game to Syracuse on Tuesday night.The game against Hartford may have been emblematic of the week. Colgate picked up right where they had left off in Alaska by winning a close first game, 30-24. The win was not definite until Colgate won six of the final seven points to take the game. The second game was closer, 30-26, but six service errors for Hartford proved costly. However, Hartford led most of the third game and won 30-27. Hartford appeared to have all of the momentum after winning 22 of the last 35 points to win the fourth game 30-21. In the final game, Colgate won three straight points off Allie Nichols served to erase a 2-1 Hartford lead and to win 15-11 to take the match.Raiders’ coach Jenna Panatier was thrilled with the Raiders resiliency in the final game. “Their determination won us that game. They just wouldn’t quit,” she said. “It really bodes well for us this season.” Colgate’s win marked the first time in Coach Panatier’s tenure that the Raiders had reached the .500 mark.Senior Laurel Oliver led the way with 19 kills on 47 attempts. Nichols had nine kills, 48 assists, and 14 digs. Senior libero Natalie Rawson had a match-high 19 digs, while first-year Sheila Giovannini had nine kills. Colgate went on to defeat Quinnipiac in three games. The first game was tied 19-19 but Colgate won 11 out of 18 points to win 30-26. In the second game, down 15-10, The Raiders won 12 consecutive points and won 30-26. Finally, Colgate broke open a 17-17 tie by winning the last 13 out of 16 points.Giovannini had a huge match, recording 15 kills on 29 attempts with only two errors. Classmate Erin Kanetzke had 12 kills on 27 attempts, while Nichols had seven kills and a career-high 41 assists. Walsh also set a career-high with 18 digs, as well as five kills. Sophomore Marybeth Maziarz had 13 kills and nine digs.Coach Panatier praised the play of the team’s younger players. “They are learning a lot about the need for tenacity from our veteran players,” she said. “Nobody is willing to accept anything less than their best efforts.”Colgate gave Canisius a strong effort, but the Golden Griffins prevailed in four games. During the second game, Colgate trailed 29-25, but came back to win 34-32. However, Canisius won the next two games 30-22 and 30-12 to win the match.Even in defeat, the Raiders had strong play from several players. Rawson had 40 digs, a school record, and the ninth-most recorded in an NCAA match since the libero rule was introduced in 2001. As of September 12th, Rawson ranked eighth in the nation in digs per match. Nichols had 17 kills, 27 assists, and eight digs. Maziarz had ten kills and six digs, while Kanetzke and Giovannini both had nine kills. Rawson, Nichols and Maziarz were all named to the all-tournament team.Against Syracuse, Oliver helped keep the Raiders close in the first game with four kills, but the Orange ultimately prevailed 30-28. Syracuse dominated the two subsequent games, winning 30-13 and 30-15, respectively. Oliver led the Raiders with eight kills, while Nichols had 22 assists and Rawson recorded 15 digs.