This past weekend Colgate volleyball was defeated at home for the first time this season against Prep League competitor Army in a special Stand Up To Cancer match. However the Raiders came back with a 3-2 win on Saturday against Holy Cross. 

Colgate volleyball had a solid turnout against Army as fans decked out in Halloween costumes came to support the Raiders in their Stand Up To Cancer Match on the 31st. 

“I am proud that the team has chosen Stand Up To Cancer for its annual fundraising game. Cancer is a disease that affects all of us,” Head Coach Ryan Baker said. 

Colgate and Army traded points throughout the first set which had 10 ties and three lead changes overall. Towards the end of the match, the score was tied at 23. But then with a kill by Army and a Raider hitting error, Army took the first set 25-23.

The Black-Knights earned five of the first six points to secure an early advantage, which they pushed to a 15-12 lead. Yet Colgate answered by earning 13 of the final 16 points to take a 25-18 win, and to tie the match. 

Although the Raiders were up 15-11 midway through the third set, Army countered with an 11-5 point run to secure a 23-20 advantage. The two teams went back-and-forth until an unforced error gave Army the 25-22 victory. 

With 10 ties and 3 lead changes the fourth set was another close contest between the two teams. The score was tied 23-23, but two kills from the Black Knight’s first year Carolyn Bockrath helped Army win the set, and take the 3-1 match win overall.  

Senior middle blocker Kenzie Hume led the Raiders with 12 kills followed by senior middle blocker Diane Seely with 11. Junior outside hitter Katie Fauntleroy and junior outside hitter Brooke Shuprty-Knoop added nine and seven kills respectively. Junior setter Jackie Macy earned her sixth double-double of the season posting 31 assists and 12 digs. Sophomore defensive specialist Madison McAndrews led on defense with 22 digs, while first year defensive specialist Elena Simpson added 11. 

In a Saturday afternoon match at Cotterell Court, the Raiders came back and defeated Holy Cross Crusaders.

Holy Cross controlled the match in the first two sets, taking the first set 25-21 and the second in a narrow 27-25 victory over the Raiders. 

Colgate started its comeback with a close 26-24 win in the third set. With nine ties and three lead changes the two teams were neck-and-neck. The score was tied at 24-all, but a kill from Fauntleroy and a Crusaders’ unforced error gave Colgate the win. 

Colgate started off strong in the fourth set, earning the first five consecutive points. Then, the score at 9-7, Colgate used an 8-1 point fun to extend their lead to a 17-8 advantage. Holy Cross countered to bring the score to 18-2, but it wasn’t enough as the Raiders used a 7-3 point run to take a 25-15 victory and tie the match. 

At the start of the fifth set, the two teams were tied at four until Colgate scored three straight points. That spurt started an 11-3 run that earned the Raiders a 15-7 win and the match. 

Fauntleroy led with 14 kills, followed by Shupryt-Knoop and sophomore right side/ outside hitter Katie Stebbins with 12 kills apiece. Macy posted 22 assists and 19 digs, and McAndrews added 12 assists and 32 digs. Although Colgate’s hitting percentage was held at a .129 during the first three sets, it improved to .327 in the final two sets of the match. 

“Holy Cross plays with a lot of heart and we didn’t match it early on, but I think in games three four and five we started swinging aggressively and got back to our game which made a big difference,” Coach Ryan Baker said. 

“We came in knowing that this was a do or die game, and we were ready for the grind and we embraced it,” sophomore right side Katie Stebbins said. 

With the results from this weekend, Colgate’s record improves to 8-4 in Patriot League play, and 14-8 overall. This weekend, the Raiders will compete against Lehigh in a 7 p.m. match on Friday in Bethlehem, PA. Then on Saturday, the team is headed to Annapolis, M.D. to take on the Navy in a match starting at 4 p.m.