WASHINGTON – Colgate's five-match winning streak came to an end on Saturday, with the Raiders (12-10, 9-2 Patriot) dropping the match by a score of 3-2 to Patriot League foe American (19-4, 9-2 Patriot). 

The sets alternated back and forth, with Colgate taking the second and fourth sets, most notably winning the fourth 30-28, but American took the fifth and final frame 19-17 to win the matchup.The Raiders finished the contest with a .268 hitting percentage, while American held the slight advantage with a .295 clip.

Milan Bayless led the squad with 25 kills and a .316 hitting percentage. Abby Shadwick landed 21 kills and posted a .400 hitting percentage to lead the team. Taylor Cigna had two aces and 15 digs, and Sydney Jones contributed 28 assists to lead the team offensively. 

COACH BAKER'S COMMENTS

"This was a dog fight of a match and I would expect nothing less when we play American. We've had some good battles over the many years and this was another one. While this one hurts, there's a lot of season left and we will get back to work."

HOW IT HAPPENED

Set 1 | American 25, Colgate 20
Colgate dropped the first set, 25-20, after falling to an early 9-4 deficit. Bayless led the Raiders with four kills, but the Eagles took advantage of Colgate's 0.071 hitting clip to establish a 1-0 lead in the match. 

Set 2 | Colgate 25, American 22
The second set was filled with back and forth action, but the Raiders took control after being knotted up at 20 apiece. Bayless contributed two clutch kills on the last two points to take the set, while Jones had a whopping eight assists. 

Set 3 | American 25, Colgate 19
The third set followed a similar script to the second, except this go-around American took control after being up 20-19. Deren Cukur led the squad with five assists, but American finished the set off winning five points in a row, with four kills and an ace. 

Set 4 | Colgate 30, American 28
Colgate opened a 6-0 lead and eventually held on to win a marathon fourth set, 30-28 to stay in the contest. The Raiders came up with incredibly clutch shots at 28-28. Each team had multiple set-point opportunities before with Maddie Rudolph's set the stage for Cigna's ace to finish off the frame, 30-28. 

Set 5 | American 19, Colgate 17
The Raiders dropped a hard-fought fifth set, 19-17, in which they saved four match points, but were eventually taken down by the Eagles. Bayless had two kills to save match points, while Tiana Owens also had a match saving kill, but the Eagles took advantage of a Raider attack error to win the match. 

UP NEXT
Colgate returns to action next weekend, matching up with Army at Cotterell Court on Friday at 7 p.m., before hitting the road again to take on Holy Cross on Sunday at 1 p.m.