Colgate Falls Just Short in Five-Set Thriller

Villanova VU 4-2,0-0 Big East

Colgate Colg 2-4,0-0 Patriot

Villanova VU

4-2,0-0 Big East

Final

Sep. 06, 2026

Colgate Colg

2-4,0-0 Patriot

Set Scores
Team	1	2	3	4	5	F
Villanova VU	33	20	22	25	15	(3)
Colgate Colg	31	25	25	21	10	(2)

Summary
Box Score

Game Recap: Volleyball | 9/6/2026 7:00:00 PM | Ashley Hudak

Wildcats hold the series, 7-0

HAMILTON – Colgate fell in five sets to Villanova in the final match of the Colgate Volleyball Classic. Villanova took a back-and-forth first set, 33-31, before Colgate rallied to win the next two, 25-20 and 25-22. The Wildcats edged the fourth set, 25-21, and finished the match with a 15-10 win in the fifth set.

RYAN BAKER'S COMMENTS
"This was a hard fought match. We knew Villanova had a really good offense and it wore us down throughout the match. I thought we showed our youth at key moments today.

"There were some really good lessons learned from this match. We are growing very quickly as a team against high quality opponents. We will get to work again on Tuesday."

MOMENTS OF THE MATCH

In a competitive first set, Colgate took an early 3-0 advantage.
Both teams fought for points as Villanova had a breakthrough, winning seven straight to take its first lead of the set, 13-9.
A kill by Morgan Reese and two Villanova attacking errors kept Colgate within one.
The high-stakes set was leveled at 24-24 with a kill from Charlotte Goldfeder. The rallies included six set-point attempts, as the Wildcats cashed in on a pair of points to take set one, 33-31.
Colgate started set two with heat, pushing to a 7-2 lead behind five Raider kills, a service ace from Reagan Kniling and a Villanova error.
The Wildcats pushed their offense late in the set, trailing by one at two different points, 18-17 and 20-19.
Two Villanova errors and a kill from Tiana Owens helped give the Raiders a four-point cushion at 23-19.
A kill from Kulia Headley and Owens' attack solidified set two for Colgate, 25-20, leveling the match at 1-1.
Set three started with both teams trading points. Colgate struck first offensively, winning consecutive points midway through the set behind two service aces from Julia Oster, kills from Reese and Owens, and two Wildcats errors to take an 14-8 lead.
Colgate extended its lead with a five-point run to take a 10-point advantage at 23-13.
The Wildcats crept back into contention, earning seven straight points, but Headley's final kill gave Colgate a 25-22 set-three win.
In back-and-forth play early in the fourth set, Colgate edged ahead, 9-6.
Villanova asserted itself offensively with a 9-1 run to take a 17-13 lead.
The Wildcats kept chipping away, including a string of three straight points to take a 23-18 lead.
Two kills from Reese were not enough as the Wildcats took the fourth set, 25-21, forcing a fifth and final set.
Carrying momentum into the fifth set, Villanova jumped out to a 5-2 lead.
Colgate answered with a 6-1 run featuring three kills from Reese to take an 8-6 advantage.
Villanova overpowered the remainder of the set, earning nine points to the Raiders' two to win 15-10.

NOTES

Owens led the team with 15 kills. Her performance against Villanova marked season bests in kills (15), points (18.5), aces (3) and digs (13).
Five Raiders recorded 10 or more digs throughout the match.
Reese posted a career-best 14 kills and 16 points.
Ava Schabes totaled a season-high 24 assists along with her first career block.
The Raiders registered 11 total service aces, with three each coming from Owens and Oster.

UP NEXT
The Raiders will remain on Cotterell Court as they host Northeastern, UAlbany and Dartmouth in the Ellis Rowland Memorial Tournament. The tournament begins Friday at 7 p.m., with Colgate facing Northeastern.

Print Friendly Version