HAMILTON, N.Y. — On banner unveiling night, the Colgate Raiders handed the undefeated Syracuse Orange their first loss on Cotterell Court. A pivotal moment came in the second set when Colgate edged out Syracuse 27-25, setting the tone for the remainder of the match.

COACH BAKER'S COMMENTS
"I liked our fight against a very quality Syracuse team.  They tested us all night and we kept responding.  Our home crowd gave us a huge boost and was a big reason we won.  Our fans have been tremendous and tonight was no different. It's always so special to raise banners in our gym.  It never gets old!"

HOW IT HAPPENED

Set 1 (Syracuse 25, Colgate 22)

• Both teams traded points throughout the beginning of the set to tie the score up at 12 apiece. Owens with the hot had notched three kills.
• Syracuse managed to pull away slightly but the Raiders managed to tie the score at 17-17, showing resilience despite falling short in the set.
• Owens managed to notch two more kills but Syracuse edged Colgate in set one, 25–22. 

Set 2  (Colgate 27, Syracuse 25)

• The Raiders trailed 8–5 in the set but kept the gap small to make the comeback. 
• The teams exchanged points as the Raiders caught up, 12–11.
• Syracuse went on a five point run from two Raider errors and three kills to take an 18–12 advantage. 
• In what seemed nearly impossible, Colgate closed the gap between the two teams 20–19 from two kills each from Owens and Milan Bayless, along with Orange attacking errors. 
• A shift of energy surged over the Raiders as they recaptured the lead, 23–22. 
• Syracuse still giving chase, Colgate sealed set two with a kill from Maddie Rudolph, an attacking error from the Orange, and a decisive kill from Frances Torres for a 27–25 victory. 

Set 3 (Colgate 25, Syracuse 20)  

• The Raiders maintained the upper hand throughout set three. 
• Owens notched a kill along with two Orange errors to give the Raiders a quick 3–1 lead. 
• Maddie Rudolph contributed from kills and a service ace to help the Raiders garner three points and extend to a 13–10 lead. 
• Syracuse made a run to cut the deficit to 17–16 but Colgate answered with two kills and their opponents attacking error to extend their lead, 20–16. 
• Set three was secured off a Bayless kill. The Raiders took a 25–20 win and up in the count, 2–1. 

Set 4 (Colgate 25, Syracuse 20)  

• Syracuse came out with fire trying to stay alive in set four taking a 5–4 lead. 
• The Raiders captured the lead 7–5 off back to back kills from Lal Akin and Owens, followed by a Bayless service ace. 
• Syracuse rallied for five straight points to regain the lead late in the set, 15–14. 
• The Raiders slowly pulled away from their opponent capitalizing on kills and attacking errors. 
• Momentum swinging their way as Torres and Akin notched a kill to help Colgate extend to a 23–19 lead. 
• The Orange fought and closed the gap 23–22, making it anyone's game. 
• Not looking to enter set five, Bayless slammed the door shut and ended the match with two kills for the Raiders win 25–23, taking three sets to the Orange's one. 

GAME NOTES

• Torres had three season highs: kills (14), points (16.5), and total blocks (5).
• Owens led the team with a career-best of 18 kills, 21 points, and two aces.
• Lal Akin had eight blocks, leading the team.
• Bayless notched 17 kills.
• Cukur notched a season-high of 19 digs.

UP NEXT
Colgate holds a 3-5 overall record in the season without any conference games played in the Patriot League. In a short turnaround time, the Raiders will reface the Orange in Syracuse, N.Y. on Saturday, Sept. 13 at 6 p.m.