Women’s Volleyball Goes .500 On the Weekend
First-year outside hitter Julia Kurowski sets up a potential spike for junior middle blocker Jessica Lathan.
With the Patriot League Tournament around the corner, the Colgate Women’s Volleyball team faced off against the Lehigh Mountain Hawks on Friday, November 9 and the Loyola Greyhounds on Saturday, November 11. Looking to gain momentum prior to postseason play, the Raiders tried to snap out of their two-game losing streak.
Heading into the game, the Mountain Hawks were viewed as a statistically tough opponent. The Mountain Hawks had a 20-7 record and were riding a three-game win streak. With a swift 3-0 win, the game is sure to provide motivation down the stretch for the Raiders. Junior Taylor Flaherty paced the Raiders with 11 kills, followed by junior Alex Stein who recorded 10 kills of her own along with 19 digs. Freshman Julia Kurowski was also dominant, finishing the night with 39 assists. Senior Katie Stansbury continued her impressive career, finishing the night with 29 digs, and senior Jaelah Hutchison provided a solid game with 9 kills and .333 hit percentage, as well as being involved in 21 team attacks.
“I am extremely proud of our effort and execution tonight. Lehigh is a really good team who just came off a win against American so we knew we had to play hard from start to finish,” Coach Ryan Baker said. “[Flaherty] and [Hutchison] both had a big night for us and [Stansbury] was great back row. It’s incredible she has had 1,000 digs. She was a six rotation player for three years, so that number is much tougher to attain. [Now], we need to recover and get ready for a very good Loyola team.”
The Raiders, however, weren’t able to translate the momentum into a win against the Greyhounds on November 11, losing 3-1. The Raiders tied the score at 1-1 after dropping the first set, and fought a tough third set. The third set featured two tie-scores and finished with a 25-23 score. The Raiders, though, were unable to threaten in the fourth set, losing 25-13. Despite the loss, Kurowski continued her dominant weekend, providing 38 assists on a .333 hit percentage. Sophomore Alli Lowe had 11 kills and Stein had a 14-dig night.
“While the loss to Loyola is disappointing, we are thrilled to be heading to the Patriot League Tournament. This team has overcome a lot of adversity in regards to season-ending injuries. We’ve battled and stepped up in every match and it has paid off. I am proud of the senior leadership because without them we never would have made it this far,” Baker said.
The Raiders will next play the 19-12 American University Eagles in Washington D.C., on Saturday, November 17 as part of the Patriot League Tournament semifinals. The Eagles are currently undergoing a 3-game losing streak, but will be a tough opponent nevertheless.
“We need to have a great week of training, but also have fun. At this point, it’s about staying focused, relaxed, and having fun. We’ve earned this bid, so we are going to enjoy the journey. We hope to see our fans in D.C.!” Baker said.
Contact Ignacio Villar at [email protected].
