Colgate University Athletics

HAMILTON – Colgate edged Holy Cross in a five-set thriller, 3-2. Career highs of 24 kills for Aubrey Anders and 36 digs for Hannah Langton proved to be enough for the Raiders to squeeze by, earning their fifth conference win of the season.

The Raiders took the first two sets, 25-18 and 25-14, as the Crusaders rallied to win the third and fourth sets, 28-26 and 25-19. Colgate closed out the match when Tiana Owens delivered the final kill to give the Raiders a 15-10 victory in the fifth set.

The Raiders held advantages in kills (75-49), hitting percentage (.226-.135) and digs (98-87), giving the match a statistical profile built around attack volume and back-row production. Owens and Anders each finished with 24 kills to support that edge.



Set 1 | Colgate 25, Holy Cross 18

• Holy Cross jumped out front first with a 5-3 lead, but a three-point stretch from Colgate, featuring kills from Nina Gannon and Anders and a service ace from Langton, gave the Raiders their first lead, 9-8.
• Holy Cross responded with a pair of kills, but Colgate's 8-2 run, featuring four kills, two service aces and two Crusaders' attacking errors, helped the Raiders build an 18-13 advantage.
• The Crusaders battled to get within two, 19-17, but the Raiders' four-point spurt, featuring three kills from Anders and a service ace, led Colgate to a 25-18 victory and a 1-0 lead in the match.

• Colgate carried its momentum into the second set, winning four straight points with Anders leading the way with a service ace and a kill.
• Holy Cross tried to keep close, but another four-point run from Colgate built a six-point Raider advantage, 10-4.
• Trying to keep pace with the Raiders, Colgate went on its third four-point run of the set, with kills from Moore, Owens and Gannon to take a seven-point lead, 17-10.
• Colgate used its offensive force to outplay Holy Cross for the remainder of the set, closing on an 8-4 run. Langton delivered the set point with a service ace, securing a 25-14 victory and a 2-0 lead.

Set 3 | Holy Cross 28, Colgate 26

• Colgate once again took the initial lead, 9-5, with five different Raiders registering a kill.
• Two Raider kills and a block assist from Stella Labrecque and Moore helped Colgate grow its lead to 13-7.
• Holy Cross started to catch up late in the set, trailing by just two, 18-16.
• The Crusaders outscored Colgate 5-1 to take their first lead of the set, 21-20.
• In a back-and-forth battle that featured four set points, the Crusaders swung the third set in their favor, 28-26.

Set 4 | Holy Cross 25, Colgate 19

• Neither team held an advantage early in the set, as both teams battled to keep the score even at 10-10.
• The Crusaders took the lead and never looked back, putting together a 9-3 run that featured six unanswered points to build their largest lead of the set, 19-13.
• Colgate earned two pairs of points, both times including a kill from Owens, but the Raiders still trailed 20-17.
• Holy Cross closed out the set with a 5-2 run to take the fourth set, 25-19, forcing a winner-take-all fifth set.

Set 5 | Colgate 15, Holy Cross 10

• The Raiders jumped out front early and never let up.
• Anders logged a pair of kills, and the Raiders capitalized on a Crusader attacking error to post a 3-0 start.
• Both teams battled, but two kills from Moore and a solo block from Julia Headley gave Colgate an 8-3 edge.
• A four-point rally put Colgate within two points of winning the match, leading 13-6.
• The Crusaders answered with four consecutive points of their own, but two key kills from Anders and Owens gave Colgate the 15-10 victory on Halloween.

Notes

• Langton recorded a career-high 36 digs.
• Anders recorded her first 20-plus-kill match and a career-high 24 kills.
• Gannon posted a team-high five blocks while converting five kills for a .333 hitting percentage.
• Ava Schabes posted 37 assists, bringing her career total to 919.

Up Next
Colgate (11-11, 5-7 Patriot) will return to action in 24 hours to host Army on Cotterell Court at 4 p.m. Sunday.