KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Colgate Raiders capped off their Tennessee Tournament showing with a gritty 3-2 win over Morehead St. The Raiders took set one, 25-14, as the Eagles took the next two sets, 25-23 and 25-20.
The Raiders edged a set-four victory, 25-23, and took home their first win of the 2026 season with a 15-9 fifth-set showing.
MOMENTS OF THE MATCH
- To start the first set, both teams rallied for three points apiece as Colgate tied the game 3-3 and 6-6.
- Trading points back and forth, Colgate finally found its break, earning a slew of four straight points. Two kills apiece from Tiana Owens and Julia Headley helped the Raiders pull ahead.
- Morehead St. tried to keep up, but Colgate's 7-1 showing to close out the first led the Raiders to a set-one win.
- Colgate had early momentum in set two, going up 5-2 with Headley leading the way with kills, but the Eagles kept the game contested, tying at 11-all.
- The Eagles earned eight points to the Raiders' one, boosting them to a 22-16 advantage.
- Colgate capitalized on five straight points from the Eagles' attacking errors and Hannah Langton's service ace to pull the game in favor of Morehead St., 22-21.The Eagles fought and came away with set two, 25-23.
- Set three also featured a battle as Morehead St. jumped out to a 7-3 advantage.
- Colgate fought, earning gritty points off the Eagles' errors and a block by Stella Labreque and Charlotte Goldfeder.
- For every point Colgate would earn, Morehead St. would respond with two of their own, taking set three, 25-20.
- The Raiders, down 2-1 in the set count, rallied, capitalizing on 12 kills, three blocks and six Eagles' errors.
- Late in the set, Colgate led 16-15 as Reagan Knipling was serving and dished out three aces, helping the team earn a total of seven points to go up 22-15.
- Morehead St. fought back, but Headley's kill solidified the fourth set for Colgate, 25-23.
- In the final set, the Raiders had the early attacking mindset, earning a run of three points on three different occasions (4-2, 8-4, 11-5).
- Morehead St. gave chase, but kills from Aubrey Anders and Owens helped the Raiders win 15-9.
NOTES
- The last time the Raiders faced Morehead St. was in 2000. The Eagles came out on top with a 3-0 sweep. With this win, the Raiders level the overall record at 1-1.
- Headley led the team with 17 kills, a career best in a single game.
- Labreque stood firm at the net, totaling six blocks.
- Knipling led the way with 27 assists, while Langton was a defensive staple with 25 digs.
UP NEXT
The Raiders will host No. 12 Arizona State, Princeton and Villanova in the Colgate Volleyball Classic. The first matchup is Thursday between the Raiders and Sun Devils at 7:30 p.m. on Cotterell Court.
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