Colgate volleyball headed to Nebraska this past weekend to take on Akron University, University of Denver and University of Nebraska in the Ameritas Players Challenge held at the Bob Devaney

Sports Center. 

On Friday, the Raiders swept the Akron Zips in three sets during their first match of the weekend. Sophomore outside hitter Kathleen Harris led the Raiders with nine kills followed by senior middle blocker Diane Seely with eight. Senior middle blocker Kenzie Hume and junior outside hitter Katie Fauntleroy added six kills a piece as well. The Raiders posted 41 kills overall, 99 overall attempts and only 10 attack errors. Running a 6-2, a lineup with two alternating setters, first-year setter Molly Harris had 22 assists while junior setter Jackie Macy added 15. The team posted a new season-high hitting percentage of .323 for

the match. 

The two teams battled for the lead in the first set, with a total of six lead changes and 10 ties overall. With the Raiders down by two, the score at 21-19, Fauntleroy started a 6-1 run that led Colgate to a 25-23 victory over the

University of Akron in the first set. 

In the second set, Akron held a small advantage at 15-13. The Raiders, however, rallied with a 12-2 run that not only gave them the lead but also changed the momentum of the match. With a huge advantage they easily pushed in order to secure a 25-13 win, and a 2-0 lead in the match. 

In the third set, Colgate secured an early 16-10 lead and later held a lead of up to 10 throughout the match. The team never let up and pushed their advantage to a

25-16 win of the set and the match.

On Saturday Colgate faced Denver, a match that resulted in a 3-0 loss. At the start of the first set, the Raiders trailed 16-13. Denver pushed their advantage to 22-16, but the Raiders countered with a 5-1 run to lessen Denver’s lead to 23-21. Despite an admirable comeback, the Pioneers took the final two points to take the set 25-21. 

Denver never let up in the second set. The Pioneers established an early 11-4 lead, which carried over to a 25-15 victory and the 2-0 lead. In the third set, Denver’s momentum never wavered as they took  11-4 lead, and secured a 25-14 win to take the match 3-0. 

Despite the loss, Harris posted eight kills, followed by Seely with seven. First-year defensive specialist Elena Simpson also added a team-high of 12 digs. 

In their second match of the day, the Raiders fell to the University of Nebraska in three sets. Nebraska overpowered Colgate with their effective and consistent offense, proven with a .593 hitting average for the set. Although the Raiders started off the match down by one at 5-4, the Huskers took the next nine straight points to take a huge advantage over the Raiders. Nebraska posted 17 kills, with only one hitting error over the course of the set, which led to 25-9 win.

The Huskers started the second set by taking five of the first six points. Their momentum never wavered, and they took the game 25-12 to establish a 2-0 lead. Although the two teams were tied at four to start the third set, the Huskers went on an eight point run to establish an 11-4 lead. They held their lead to earn the

25-15 win, and to sweep the match. 

“This match was a great opportunity for our team to go up against one of the top programs in the nation on its home floor,” head coach Ryan Baker said of the matchup against Nebraska. “The crowd tonight in the Devaney Center was amazing and it shows just how special Nebraska’s

home-court advantage truly is.” 

Simpson led the Raiders with 12 digs against Nebraska. Seely held the

team-high for kills with 11, and only one attack error out of 20 attempts taken. Seely was named to the All-Tournament team, earning 26 kills and a .415 hitting percentage over the weekend. She also posted six blocks, two of which were

solo blocks. 

Seely, who was the Patriot League Player of the Year last season, has been the Raiders top player this season, continuing her strong play in this weekend’s tournament. On the season so far, Seely has recorded an outstanding 62 kills while committing just 15 errors. If Seely continues her strong play, there should be no reason that the Raiders will not contend for the Patriot League Championship

come November.

This weekend, Colgate volleyball will participate in Syracuse’s Otto Invitational, where they will compete against some of the top teams in the state including Cornell, Syracuse and Albany. From there, the Raiders jump into the Patriot League portion of their schedule with the remainder of the games on their schedule coming against League opponents. Their next home game will not be until October 3 when they host the

Navy Midshipmen.