Olivia Hokanson / Colgate Athletics

After a challenging non-conference preseason, Colgate University women’s volleyball — three-time consecutive Patriot League Champions — geared up for an important stretch of conference games. The Raiders hosted American University at Cotterell Court for their first in-conference game of the season at home on Friday, Sept. 27. Colgate closed out the match with an impressive 3-1 win. Despite the growing target on their back after winning against American in the championship last year, the team’s attitude going into the weekend was positive and unwavering.

Senior and outside hitter Abby Shadwick shared the team’s strategy for an optimistic outlook heading into the game.

“We definitely strive to take it one game at a time, no matter who we are playing,” Shadwick said. “We play the best version of Colgate volleyball that we can by building on our training week after week. We go in with that mentality no matter who the opponent is, although playing American does give a competitive edge to both teams on both sides of the court.”

Assistant Coach and Recruiting Coordinator Michelle Meehan agreed with Shadwick’s sentiment in preparing for the weekend’s match.

“We feel good going into this weekend,” Meehan commented. “We always pride ourselves on how practice is going. We find that if we have good practice weeks and are consistent in the gym, that usually shows up on game day. We are a staff and program where the level of our training has to be good in here for us to be able to rely on it on gameday. So we feel prepared.” 

The Raiders’ preparation paid off, as they defeated the Eagles in a hard-fought four-set match. They maintained their winning streak the following day at Cotterell Court, where they swept the United States Naval Academy 3-0.

Winning their first four Patriot League games has given the Raiders a surge of momentum for the rest of the season, especially after a tough non-conference preseason. The volleyball staff put together a demanding non-conference schedule against top 100 and 150-level programs that tested the team both mentally and physically. With a 2-8 record in non-conference games, players are taking what they learned from these games into the rest of the season.

“We were either going to take the losses and not learn, or we were going to learn,” Meehan said. “I think our team has learned. They have learned what we need to work on. When you play teams that are beating you, you figure out how you are exposed. For us, we use those moments to see where we are at as a program, what we need to get better at, what teams are doing to beat us and how to fix that. I think one of the biggest things we learned was consistency. How do we stay consistent in the gym? How do we fight for our culture? How do we stay together on game day?”

Five-time Patriot League Volleyball Coach of the Year and women’s volleyball Head Coach Ryan Baker agreed with Meehan. 

“It is a marathon, not a sprint,” Baker said when asked what lessons he wants to carry into the rest of the season. “For us, it is, ‘Are we progressively getting a little bit better each week so that we are peaking at the right time and don’t get complacent?’ I’ve learned this in general from our success and from our early season losses. I think we were a little complacent and our practice environment wasn’t as dialed in as it needed to be and it showed in early-season losses that I don’t think we needed to take at that point. But, for me, if that’s what comes out of non-conference, then I think it was successful because our goal is always to be competing for a conference championship, which we are still in the running to do.” 

Shadwick spoke on behalf of herself and her teammates, sharing how preseason has helped the Raiders improve.

“Our goals have stayed the same, although we are pushing for a win at the next level this season,” Shadwick explained. “That starts with taking things one game at a time. Our tough preseason schedule challenged us, but we are taking it in stride and making adjustments to be a better team, all of us together — all 22 of us.” 

The Raiders are dedicated to winning a championship and their hard work is showing results. The program is in a strong position as they rack up conference victories and gain momentum for the rest of the season. They’re approaching each game one at a time, learning from past losses, and feeling excited about the journey ahead.

“One heart, one direction, one agenda has been big on our minds recently,” Shadwick said when talking about her last season as a Raider. “We all know the potential of this team and how important it will be for us to come together and stay incredibly unified for the rest of the season. We make each other stronger and better people and volleyball players every day.”

Colgate Volleyball plays their next home game against College of the Holy Cross on Friday, Oct. 4 at 7 p.m. on Cotterell Court.