Colgate University volleyball wrapped up their season after making it to the 2024 NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship following their fourth consecutive Patriot League championship. Colgate played against the University of Kansas in the first round on Friday, Dec. 6. Ryan Baker, Colgate’s head coach of 17 seasons, spoke on the environment inside Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena during Colgate’s match against the Jayhawks.
“[The] environment was pretty special, and it’s exactly what you want [your team to see] when you’re going to go to the ensuite. […] I am just extremely proud of the fight our team has shown. You know, I think we did a great job battling a well-coached, disciplined Kansas team,” Baker said.
With an attendance of almost two thousand in-person viewers, the game’s final score was 0-3 for Kansas, thus removing Colgate from the tournament. The Raiders put up a strong fight, with a total of 45 points scored, 34 kills, 49 digs and four aces. Highlights include senior Abby Shadwick’s 13 kills, sophomore Deren Cukur’s 17 assists and fifth-year Taylor Cigna’s 15 digs.
“We knew what we were in for. We drew them early in the season in a non-conference match. […] I thought we put on a great show for everyone in attendance, and I would say we’d certainly like to have won a set or won the match. I think we had nothing to be ashamed of,” Baker said during a NCAA press conference on Dec. 6.
Nevertheless, Colgate volleyball’s performance this year and against Kansas was impressive and certainly a source of Raider pride. Senior outside hitter Abby Shadwick spoke on how Colgate played in their matchup with Kansas.
“I thought that our serving game and our defense execution in that environment was pretty special, so there’s a lot of pride in my heart at this moment,” Shadwick said.
This year, Colgate Volleyball’s graduating class includes players Caroline Altergott, Cigna, Hristina Georgieva, Greta Hoogstra, Sydney Jones, Libby Overmyer, Lilly Saleeby and Shadwick.
Fifth year senior Taylor Cigna talked about the legacy that this senior class will have.
“I think there have been a lot of moments where we could have done the easy thing and given up, I think that could have been set for tonight too [referencing the game against Kansas], like we could have lost by a lot more,” Cigna explained. “But what’s so special about this team is that we choose to do what’s hard and fight every single time without fail, I’m proud of the legacy that we’ve left, and I’m so excited for the future of the program, because we came ready to compete today, and I know that, you know, next year, they’re ready to compete and win a first-round too.”
This year, Colgate volleyball became the third team to ever win four consecutive Patriot League championships. The Raiders credit their NCAA tournament appearance to their hard work, grit and determination, all of which have also made the 2024 season one to remember.
