This past weekend, the Volleyball team made their season home debut in hosting the Colgate Classic tournament. 

First-year middle blocker Jaelah Hutchison was awarded a spot on the All-Tournament Team, after earning an average of 2.22 kills and .78 blocks each set.

The Raiders fell 3-0 in their opening match against Rutgers at Cotterell Court Friday.

Although the two teams were tied at 13 midway through the first set, Rutgers earned the next four consecutive points to start an 11-5 run that gave them a 24-18 advantage over Colgate.

The Raiders responded with a 3-0 run to pull within three, putting the score at 24-21. A kill from the Scarlet Knights secured the Rutgers win with a final score of 25-21. Rutgers pulled away from Colgate halfway through the second set with a 12-6 spurt, which led to a 25-19 victory and a 2-0 lead. Colgate rallied in a tight third set that featured nine ties and three lead changes. The Raiders had a slim 11-10 advantage over the Scarlet Knights, who then took the lead with a 9-4 point run. The Raiders responded with a 4-1 point run to lessen their advantage to 20-19, but Rutgers went on a 5-1 run to take the 25-20 win and the match.

“I feel for them,” head coach Ryan Baker said after the match. “They’re working really hard, they have great attitudes, they have great leadership within the team. … I think we’re just nervous, we’re young and nervous.”

First-year outside hitter Katie Stansbury led the Raiders with 10 kills, and junior outside and right side hitter Katie Stebbins added nine. Sophomore setter Molly Smith posted 14 assists, and senior setter Jackie Macy posted nine. In their second day of tournament play, the Raiders were defeated by Yale and Albany.

Although Yale trailed Colgate 6-5 in the opening set, a Colgate attacking error sparked a 8-0 point run for the Bulldogs, and a 13-6 advantage. Colgate attempted to come back, lessening their lead to 14-10, but the Bulldogs held the lead for the remainder of the match until they claimed the 25-17 win. In the second set, the Bulldogs held a slight lead over the Raiders at 14-12. Yet, Yale used a 9-3 run to secure a 25-19 victory and a 2-0 lead. Although Colgate held a 15-14 lead over Yale midway through the third set, the Bulldogs earned the next three consecutive points to ignite a 11-5 run that led to a 25-20 win and the 3-0 sweep. Hutchison led Colgate with seven kills, while Stebbins added six. Sophomore right side hitter and setter Lauren Sanderson posted 11 assists, and junior outside hitter Kathleen Harris added 10 digs. 

After Albany took the first set with a 25-17 win over the Raiders, the two teams went back and forth in the second set with seven ties and four lead changes. Although Colgate was down by two with the score at 16-14 halfway through the second set, a kill from the Great Danes started a 7-1 run, and led to a 21-17 advantage. Colgate responded by earning two of the next three points to trim their advantage to 22-19, yet Albany earned the three remaining points in the set to secure a 25-19 victory and the 2-0 lead. 

The Great Danes’ momentum carried over into the third set as they earned seven of the first nine points to secure a 25-13 win and the 3-0 sweep over the Raiders. 

Harris led the Raiders with 11 kills, while Hutchison added eight. Smith posted 27 assists and 11 digs, and sophomore defensive specialist Elena Simpson earned a season-best of 19 digs against Albany. 

Colgate holds a 0-9 record overall, and is set to take on the Bucknell Bison on September 18, during the Bucknell Tournament. The Raiders are then scheduled to compete against Delaware State and Providence on September 19. The match against Bucknell will count as a Patriot League match for both teams.