This week, the Colgate women’s volleyball team came back to Cotterell Court where they took on the Bucknell Bison and the Lafayette Leopards for the second time of the season. The Raiders continued to succeed in Prep League play with their second sweep against Bucknell on Tuesday. Then on Friday, in their annual Dig Pink match for Breast Cancer Awareness, the Raiders earned their sixth straight win after defeating Lafayette 3-0.

On Tuesday night, the Raiders beat the Bison for the second time this season in a 3-0 sweep. Junior middle blocker Diane Seely continued her offensive success as she led her team with 10 kills. Senior setter Kaylee Fifer had 28 assists during the match and senior libero Caitlin Cremin had 11 digs in the back row. First-year outside hitter Kathleen Harris also contributed with consistent serving as she earned four aces and had two long 10 and 11-point serving runs during the match.

Colgate started the match out strong with an 11 point serving run from Harris and four kills from Seely, three of which were in a row. The Bison were at a huge disadvantage at the very start as Colgate took an immediate 12-1 lead. The Raiders never let up thanks to an ace from junior defensive specialist Hannah Donnelly, kills from junior middle blocker Kenzie Hume and a kill from senior outside hitter Lindsay Young which pushed their lead to 23-5. Bucknell was able to get a few points back before junior middle blocker Diane Seely finished the first set with an overwhelming 25-9 win.

The Bison didn’t let their performance in the first set affect their play at the start of the second. They came out strong and took a 10-7 lead after a few Colgate unforced errors. Colgate answered with a 6-0 point run to take a 13-10 advantage with help from sophomore right side Kate Reilly with a few kills. But Bucknell didn’t give up as the team pushed five consecutive points, reducing Colgate’s lead to 1 at 22-21. However, the Raiders came back scoring 4 of the next three points to secure the 25-22 win.

In the third set, Colgate took another huge lead at the start. Harris scored three kills and Young scored two as well, earning the Raiders an early 11-3 lead. The Bison made an attempt to get back into the set, getting in a four-point range of the Raiders at 12-8. The score went back and forth, putting the score at 15-10. But then Harris went on her second impressive serving run of the night, serving the next 10 points and earning match point with her fourth ace. Colgate ultimately defeated Bucknell 25-10, sweeping them for the second time this season.

Saturday night, the Raiders came out sporting pink jerseys for their annual “Dig Pink” game for breast cancer awareness. They played Lafayette for the second time this season and won, earning them their sixth straight win and their fifth sweep in a row. The Raiders were consistent and never let up, and all sixteen players got time on the court. Seely led offensively once again with seven kills and Fifer had 22 assists. The Raiders also played well defensively as Cremin had 15 digs, while senior defensive specialist Allie Dyer had 14. Lafayette struggled both offensively and defensively leading to a 3-0 sweep for the Raiders.The Raiders took a huge 11-2 lead at the start of the match with help from right side Reilly who got three kills early in the set. Then Dyer served nine consecutive points with three aces during the run, pushing Colgate to an overwhelming 21-6 lead. Seeley also contributed with three kills during the 9-0 point run for the Raiders. The Leopards could never quite get back into the set after that first run, and the Raiders took the first set with a 25-12 win.

Colgate opened the second set with another huge 11-2 run that led to a 16-8 advantage over the Leopards. They remained consistent in all aspects of their play as Young and Seely each had two kills during that 11-2 point run. Then they went on a 7-1 point run to win the second set 25-12. Colgate’s momentum never waivered, as they took a commanding 19-3 lead after another long serving run from Dyer who also added two aces. Reilly got a kill to earn the Raiders the final point of the match, earning them a 25-8 win in the third set and the 3-0 sweep overall. When asked about the match against Lafayette, Head Coach Ryan Baker said, “This was a complete effort from the entire team.” This week, the Raiders travel to Army for a pivotal match Friday night, and a match against Holy Cross on Saturday November 2 at 2 p.m.

Contact Jessica Rice at [email protected].