HAMILTON — For the fifth consecutive season top-seeded Colgate will play for a Patriot League championship after the Raiders outlasted sixth-seeded Lehigh 3-1 in semifinal action Friday night at Cotterell Court. 

Lehigh came out firing and took the first set 25-20 but Colgate wore down the Mountain Hawks once again riding the strength of Abby Shadwick, who landed a career-high 22 kills in the victory. The Raiders took the final three sets to pull away for the victory. 

Shadwick's 22 kills led Colgate's .260 hitting clip. Frances Torres had nine kills and Milan Bayless and Gillian Hauschild each posted seven. Taylor Cigna shined with 27 digs while Greta Hoogstra registered five block assists to help the Raiders limit Lehigh to a .133 hitting clip. 

Colgate will meet fourth-seeded Army in the conference title match Sunday at 2 p.m. This will be the second championship meeting between the two teams, with the Black Knights coming out victorious 3-1 at Cotterell Court in 2020-21. 

COACH BAKER'S COMMENTS

"I'm extremely proud of our team's fight against a very strong Lehigh team who was peaking at the right time. This was a great team win with an awesome crowd. There was definitely a home court advantage and we are extremely grateful for their support. Our defense was gritty and it led to some great transition swings. We are excited to play in the championship match. Army has had a great season so we know it'll be another tough match. We need our fans to come out once again!"

HOW IT HAPPENED

Set 1 | Lehigh 25, Colgate 20
The first set provided plenty of action with Lehigh building the first substantial lead, 13-10, on the heels of a 3-0 burst. The Mountain Hawks hit .268 in the frame and limited Colgate's attack to a .182 clip. Colgate climbed back to tie it 20-20 on a kill by Shadwick, but the visitors scored the final five points to secure the set, 25-20.

Set 2 | Colgate 25, Lehigh 16
Colgate's first two-point lead in the match came when kills from Shadwick and Bayless capped a 4-1 surge to put the Raiders in front 7-5. A kill from Hauschild distanced the lead to 15-11 and Colgate didn't look back. Kills from Bayless and Torres kept the comfortable lead before a service ace from Bayless sealed the frame, 25-16. 

Set 3 | Colgate 25, Lehigh 12
Colgate's defense turned up the dial in a dominant frame, holding Lehigh to a -.056 hitting clip with four blocks. Shadwick and Hauschild both landed multiple kills in a dominant 11-1 burst that had the crowd fired up with Colgate surging 16-6. Hoogstra connected on a pair of blocks down the stretch and the Raiders closed out the frame with a 5-0 run. 

Set 4 | Colgate 25, Lehigh 23
Colgate was in control 7-1 and 11-4 before the Mountain Hawks cut the margin down to 15-13 with a 9-4 response. The Raiders countered with three unanswered points but Lehigh answered once more with a 6-1 run to tie the frame at 20-20. Colgate led 24-23 when an attack error on Lehigh emptied the Raider bench in celebration after the 25-23 set victory.

UP NEXT
Colgate (18-10, 14-2 Patriot) and Army (16-11, 10-6 Patriot) both carry six-match winning streaks into Sunday's Patriot League championship. ESPN+ will carry the livestream at 2 p.m.