Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Colgate
Bucknell Volleyball Drops Four-Set Decision at Colgate
10/25/2012 8:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Oct. 25, 2012
HAMILTON, N.Y. - Bucknell volleyball again took Colgate to four sets, but the Bison fell to the Raiders for the second time this season, 22-25, 25-14, 25-20, 26-24, at Cotterell Court on Thursday night. Bucknell won the blocking battle but was unable to keep pace with Colgate's offense, falling to 8-17 overall and 2-8 in the Patriot League.
"I was really pleased with the way some of our juniors stepped up tonight," said head coach Cindy Opalski. "We were out two starters. We had a couple juniors step up and did the best they could. As a coach all you can do is hope that they can put themselves in a situation where they're competing for those opportunities, stepping up to those opportunities. Especially in the fourth game, we really battled back, had a really solid three-point lead, good momentum and just really couldn't finish. That's the key to volleyball. If you can battle, you can be in matches, but you've got to finish."
Bucknell took an early lead in the match after hitting .265 and limiting Colgate (12-12, 9-1 PL) to a .095 attack percentage. Both teams registered 13 kills, however, making it closer than the stats would indicate. The Raiders were the first out of the gates, taking a 9-2 advantage and forcing the Bison into a timeout. Undeterred, Bucknell chipped away at the Colgate lead over the next several points. That lead finally changed hands at 20-19 as junior Morgan Mientus (Chicago, Ill./Saint Ignatius College Prep) tallied one of her eight kills on the night.
Colgate tied the set on the very next point but never reclaimed the lead. Karen Campbell (Chesapeake, Va./Cape Henry Collegiate) eventually closed out play in the first with a solo block. By the end of the night, Bucknell had an 11.0-7.0 edge in total team blocks.
Campbell finished the night with seven total blocks. The freshman now has 98 on the year, giving her the team lead. Kebah Edoho (Odenton, Md./Arundel) tallied four blocks, bringing her season total to 97. Each of the duo is attempting to become the first Bison to 100 blocks since Jennie Smith in 2006.
The comeback effort did not carry over into the second set as Bucknell used both its timeouts before it reached five points. Momentum swung back to the Raiders and stayed there as they finished the frame with an attack percentage of .333 and held the Bison to .047.
Bucknell was back in the hunt in the third set, however. Kellye Zobrist (Scottsdale, Ariz./Notre Dame Prep) stepped in with some strong serving and her second ace gave the Bison an 11-10 lead. That advantage was short-lived, unfortunately, with Colgate taking five of the next six points.
Bucknell never fully recovered, although it did give Colgate a run for its money in the fourth. Both squads got their hitting percentages back over .200 and there were 14 ties before the final ball was played. Despite the close action, the fourth only saw two lead changes. Bucknell played in front starting at 4-3. Not until Michelle McCarthy registered a kill did the Raiders go in front, and that gave them the 19-18 lead.
McCarthy ultimately gave Colgate its first match point with another kill, but it was Kaylee Fifer and Lindsay Young that teamed up for the final two points of the night and kept the Raiders in first place in the Patriot League.
McCarthy was one of four Raiders to finish in double figures in the kills column, totaling 13 on the night. Young also had 14. Fifer led all players with 44 assists.
On Bucknell's side, Mientus, Edoho and Hannah Young (McConnellsburg, Pa./Broadfording Christian Academy (Md.)) each had eight kills . Meghan Wentzel (San Anselmo, Calif./The Branson School) totaled 23 assists, and Leylin Marroquin (Lone Tree, Colo./Highlands Ranch) tallied a season-high 23 digs.
Bucknell took Colgate to four sets in both of the teams' meetings this year. The Raiders (12-12, 9-1 PL) also won the first match in early October by a close score of 25-21, 27-29, 27-25, 28-26.
Bucknell will return home for the final time this season next weekend to host Holy Cross and Army. The meeting with the Crusaders at 7 p.m. on Friday will be preceded by Senior Night activities, recognizing Edoho and Kat Tauscher (Washington, D.C./National Cathedral School). The match can also be seen live on Bison Vision at BucknellBison.com.
