Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Colgate
Bucknell Volleyball Swept 3-0 by Colgate
10/30/2009 8:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Oct. 30, 2009
| Highlights
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Bucknell volleyball got off to a hot start but was unable to maintain its high level of intensity throughout the match, falling to Colgate 3-0 (27-25, 25-20, 25-22) Friday night in Davis Gym. The Bison (8-13, 4-6) opened the night by hitting .302 with 19 kills in the first set before taking their third consecutive loss.
Bucknell's .302 attack percentage was a match high and the steady hitting by the Bison's front line contributed heavily to the team staying in contention with the Patriot League's second-place team. The match began with each team going on a series of mini-runs. Colgate (12-11, 8-2) was the first to try and gain momentum, earning four straight points to help it go from losing 3-2 to taking a 6-3 lead. Bucknell then regained the advantage taking five of the next six points on kills by Allison Gittings (Dayton, Md./Glenelg) and Heidi Kamp (Eugene, Ore./Henry D. Sheldon) and a service ace by Lindsay Regruto (Atlanta, Ga./Marist School).
That trend continued through much of the high-energy set. The Bison took one of their largest leads at 21-17 following a kill by Gittings, but the Raiders responded by claiming five of the next six scores, tying the set at 22. Both teams fought to take complete control, and they ended up swapping points until Colgate committed back-to-back attack errors to give Bucknell set point at 25-24. The Raiders rebounded in a hurry with consecutive kills to earn their own set point. A Bison attack error closed out a tough opening frame 27-25.
After the let down, the second set lacked the same fire as the first. It showed, too, as Bucknell quickly fell to a 9-2 deficit following a point penalty. The Bison finally regained their momentum from earlier play, earning 10 of the next 12 points and going ahead by one.
Just like before, however, Colgate maintained its composure and hung with Bucknell until it found its opening. A scoring spurt in the late moments of the second gave the Raiders a bit of breathing room and allowed them to take a two-set lead with the 25-20 win.
The final set started much like the first did with the Bison taking a significant lead in the early goings. The frame opened with back-to-back block assists by Kebah Edoho (Arundel, Md./Odenton) and Ragin Jackson (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y./Hendrick Hudson). Kaitlin Segal (Pacific Palisades, Calif./Harvard-Westlake), Katie Baumgarten (South Pasadena, Calif./South Pasadena) and Kamp earned a handful of kills, and Kamp capped off the run with a service ace to put Bucknell up 13-7.
The Raiders then put together a similar run, claiming 12 of the next 16 points. They suddenly found themselves with a 19-17 lead, but a service error took the advantage back down to a single point. The teams again began trading points and just as the Bison got a look at another lead, they were struck with their own service error. Although the Orange and Blue came within one point at 23-22, they never regained the advantage. A pair of errors sealed the deal at 25-22.
Despite the loss, head coach Cindy Opalski was pleased with her team's overall play.
"This is the kind of match that could have gone either way," said Opalski. "I thought we played well. Through the first half of Patriot League play, Army and Colgate proved they were the best teams. I'm really encouraged by the fact that each time we played those teams, our performance has been better the second time around."
Segal led the Bison with 12 kills on the night. She was followed by Jackson with eight. In addition to her four kills, three of which came in the opening set, Gittings finished with 34 assists.
Colgate's Maureen Colligan led all players with 13 kills, while Meghan Fanta chipped in 30 assists. Two Raiders finished in double figures for digs with Devon Applegate leading the way with 13.
Bucknell will be back in action next weekend when it travels to Lehigh on Friday, Nov. 6. The match in Bethlehem, Pa., is set for 7 p.m.
