Colgate Rallies from Two Games Down to Earn 3-2 Victory
By Kat Castner
(Hamilton, NY – Nov. 8, 2013) The Colgate volleyball team continued its nine-game unbeaten streakFriday night when the Raiders rallied from two games down to steal a 3-2 win over Navy.
With the victory, Colgate secured its spot in the Patriot League Tournament, which begins Nov. 23 at the highest seeded team.
“Give a lot of credit to Navy,” Colgate head coach Ryan Baker said. “They came out with a game plan and their defense was incredible. They tested us the entire match. But I give more credit to our players. They came out of the locker room down 2-0 to a team that never let up, and really fought to earn the win. I was really proud of them.”
Colgate (20-6, 12-1 PL) saw Diane Seely notch a game-best 23 kills in the match, while Kaylee Fifer added 55 helpers. Caitlin Cremin and Allie Dyer held strong on the backline with 24 and 17 digs, respectively.
Navy (12-14, 8-5 PL) was led by Erin Fortner, who tallied 13 kills and two blocks in the five-game set. Alli Graf recorded a team-high 26 digs with Alex Karika earning 40 assists in the loss.
The Raiders dropped the opening two sets 25-23 but came soaring back to post three straight victories to snag the win.
Colgate started the third set registering four straight points. The Mids got to within two at 8-6 but two quick Raider points set the stage for a 25-14 win.
In the fourth set, Colgate again took an early lead on Navy at 5-0. The Mids came slowly back fighting and even took the lead at 14-13, but the Raiders rallied to outscore them 12-5 the rest of the way to tie the match at 2-2.
The fifth set was a lot closer with both teams exchanging points. The game was knotted at 7-7, but two kills in a row by Seely put the Raiders up 9-7 in an eventual 15-11 victory.
Throughout the match, there were 17 lead changes and the score was tied 31 times.
Colgate is back in action Saturday when the Raiders welcome Lehigh for Senior Day at 3 p.m. on Cotterell Court.