Bucknell University
5-13,1-8Patriot
Colgate
11-7,8-1Patriot
Volleyball Takes 3-1 Loss at First-Place Colgate
10/16/2021 7:42:00 PM | Volleyball
LEWISBURG, Pa. – The Bucknell volleyball team battled to four sets against first-place Colgate at Cotterell Court Saturday evening, but the Raiders came away with the 3-1 victory. Bucknell nearly forced a fifth set after falling behind 2-0 in the match, and the Bison led 24-23 in the final frame before three straight Colgate points put an end to the comeback. Bucknell posted hitting percentages above .300 in the two final sets.
Three Bison finished with double-digit kills, led by sophomore Catherine Jamison's 13. Jamison also registered a .450 hitting percentage for the match and was among three Bucknell players that hit above .400. As a team, the Bison hit .234 for the match while Colgate hit .267. The Raiders also held a 16-6 advantage in blocks, and the Bison led 6-5 in service aces.
Bucknell seemingly grew stronger as the match went on following a 25-19 loss in set one. The Bison were behind 10-4 early in the opening set, but a Bucknell run tied it at 12-12. The set remained close until the teams were even at 19-19, forcing a Colgate timeout. The Raiders came out of the timeout on a mission and scored six in a row to take 1-0 lead in the match.
The Bison trailed by as many as five through much of set two before a 4-1 run brought them within two of tying at 21-19. Again, Colgate finished the set strong on a 4-1 run of their own while hitting a match-best .364.
It was Bucknell that led most of the way in the third, hitting .333 for the set. Colgate took a brief lead at 13-12 following four unanswered points, but the Bison continued to battle and retook the lead at 16-15 after a kill and a service ace by Allie Lopez. After sitting tied at 19-all, Bucknell notched six of the final eight points in the set to stay alive for a fourth.
Bucknell hit .355 in the fourth set, but a 5-0 Colgate run put the Bison in a 16-9 hole. The Orange & Blue responded with a 9-1 run that put them in position to potentially cruise to a second set victory. Colgate claimed five of the next six points, however, to win it 26-24 and send the Bison home with a loss.
Joining Jamison with double-digit kills were Lisa Zoch (12) and Libby Nieporte (11). Rookie Jen Sivak came on strong in the final two frames as well, totaling six kills with no errors for a .750 hitting percentage. Setter Sarah Ramirez led the Bison with a match-high 38 assists while adding three block assists and one block solo, and libero Jordan Hardy posted 13 digs.
Coming up, the Bison host Holy Cross and Army West Point at Davis Gym next weekend. Bucknell defeated Holy Cross 3-1 on the road back on Sept. 18. Both matches are scheduled to be shown on ESPN+.
