The Colgate Women’s Volleyball team finished out their season this past week with a sweep against Army, and a loss to American in the Patriot League Championship match. The Raiders started off post-season play with a 3-0 sweep against Army in the semifinal match on Saturday, November 23.  Firstyear outside hitter Kathleen Harris led the team with 13 kills followed by junior middle blocker Diane Seely with nine. Senior setter Kaylee Fifer also made a huge contribution to the match with 27 sets and 11 digs. Although the match ended Army’s season, the Black Knights were led by senior Marguax Jarka and first year Olivia Fairfield with seven kills each, thanks to sophomore Vanessa Edwards with 26 assists. 

Colgate started the match out strong with a 14-7 lead against the Black Knights. They pulled ahead thanks to three kills from Harris, and two each from Seely and senior outside hitter Lindsay Young. The Raiders never let up, scoring 11 of the next 15 points to start the match with a huge 25-11 win in the first set. The Raiders had a 34 hitting percentage overall in the first set, which kept Army’s hitting percentage at zero. The Raiders kept the momentum going in the second set with an early 11-7 lead as a result of Harris, Seely and Young’s success offensively. Junior middle blocker Kenzie Hume and Fifer added kills to earn the lead as well. Army came back with a 4-0 point run to tie the score 11-11. The Raiders kept fighting and secured a 21-18 lead with a service ace from sophomore setter Jackie Macy. After another kill from Seely and a few Army unforced errors, Colgate got the 25-20 win in the second match taking a 2-0 advantage over the Black Knights.

Army fought back in the third set, keeping the score close throughout the entire set. The two teams were tied at five, and although Colgate took several leads, the two teams remained neck-and-neck as they continued to trade points, resulting in a tied score at 21-21. The Raiders made one final push to earn four of the next five points earning the 25-22 win, and a spot in the Patriot League Championship match. On Sunday, Colgate took on American for the second time in a row in the Patriot League Championships. The Raiders fought hard but were defeated 3-0 by the Eagles, and took the runner up spot in the championship.

Colgate excelled offensively as Young had a team-high of 14 kills followed by Harris with 12 kills and Seely with 10. In addition, middle blocker Seely also added three blocks. Fifer contributed with 37 assists and also helped senior libero Caitlin Cremin on defense as they each had 17 digs. The Eagles were led by senior Juliana Crum and junior Krityna Lindovska who had 15 and 13 kills each respectively. Junior Monika Smidova had 42 assists and 14 digs, and sophomore Allison Cappellino led on defense with 14 digs.

In the first set, American took an early 10-6 lead over the Raiders that they pushed to a 16-10 advantage. Junior middle blocker Mari Faines and Seely each had a few kills, and Macy had an ace. This run put the Raiders ahead of the Eagles with a slim 22-21 lead after another kill from Seely. But American came back with a 4-0 point run to take the lead and the game from the Raiders and a 1-0 lead overall.

Colgate fought back in the second game as well. The Eagles had the win in their grasp with game point at 24-21. But with a kill and two blocks from Seely, the Raiders tied the game at 24. The teams traded points until Colgate took a 27-26 lead with a block by Young and Hume. The Eagles tied the game back up at 27, but Colgate took the advantage once again, putting the score at 29-28 after an American attack error. However, the Raiders couldn’t clinch the win and were defeated by Morgan Hendrix as she scored the last point, earning the win for the Eagles. American’s momentum carried over into the third set as they took an early 12-6 lead over Colgate. The Raiders tried to come back by bringing the score within three at 12-9. They kept fighting and got within one of the Eagles after a kill from Young. The Raiders were just behind the Eagles at 16-15, but that was the closest Colgate got to taking the advantage from American as the Eagles clinched the third set 25-19 and the Patriot League Championship. Despite the loss, the Raiders finished their season with a 22-9 record, posting the most wins since 1982 and making this 2013 team the eighth all-time for wins during a single season. 

Contact Jessica Rice at [email protected].