Young, Harris Lead Raiders to 3-0 Win Over Central Connecticut
(Hamilton, NY – Aug. 30, 2013) Led by senior Lindsay Young and rookie Kathleen Harris, the Colgate women’s volleyball team couldn’t have started its season any better with a 3-0 (26-24, 25-18, 25-15) sweep of Central Connecticut State in day one of the Colgate Classic.
Colgate (1-0) saw Young and Harris tally 14 kills apiece as the Raiders hit 34.2 percent. Colgate had 52 kills and just 12 errors all night. Kaylee Fifer put up 37 assists in the win, while Caitlin Cremin added 26 digs on the defensive end.
“This was a great start to our season,” head coach Ryan Baker said. “We had a great night offensively which stems from a strong passing and setting game. Kathleen and Lindsay attacked at a very high percentage, which is something we expect and need from them.”
Central Connecticut (0-2) dropped its second match of the day after losing to St. John’s in game two of the Colgate Classic. Heather Trueman posted nine kills to lead the way, while Brittany Shumacher tallied 15 digs. Makenna Lommori was the primary setter and recorded 23 helpers.
In the first set, Colgate needed to get it bearings, while the Blue Devils were coming off a game an hour before and were ready. The Raiders settled down and went on a 6-0 run to make it 11-6 with two kills apiece from Young and Katie Reilly with a Harris service ace in there as well.
Central Connecticut didn’t go away as the Blue Devils climbed back in the set to tie it at 12-12. Colgate answered to take a 20-17 lead with more kills from Young and Harris. However, like earlier in the set, CCSU came back and took a 23-21 lead with Lommori and Trueman hitting back-to-back kills. Colgate showed that championship fire after that with five of the next six points to put the match away with an ace by Lexi Finger to earn the 26-24 win.
The Raiders carried the momentum into the second set and jumped out to an 8-4 lead. That advantage was never relinquished as the Blue Devils got to within two points on a couple of occasions, but the Raiders were there to answer. Colgate built its largest lead at 22-16 with a 4-0 run. Katie Stebbins and Harris closed out the set with back-to-back kills to win the set 25-18.
In the final set, Colgate dominated the early action, earning a 12-4 advantage. Stebbins had a run of three-straight kills, while Harris and Young added two more points. The lead ballooned up to 19-9 with two more strikes from Stebbins and one from Fifer and an ace from Cremin. Central Connecticut got back into the match slowly, but a ball-handling error ended the match as Colgate won the last set by a 25-15 score.
“Overall, I am most pleased with the leadership we are getting from our seniors,” Baker said. “Our success will lie heavily on their shoulders.”
Colgate will be back at Cotterell Court for a pair of games Saturday. The Raiders take on St. John’s at 11 a.m. and then in the final match of the Colgate Classic at 5 p.m., Colgate takes on Binghamton.