WORCESTER, Mass. — A dominant weekend for Colgate Volleyball (14-10, 10-2 Patriot) was capped off by a quick 3-0 sweep at Holy Cross (2-20, 0-13 Patriot) on Sunday afternoon inside the Hart Center. 

Colgate's second straight sweep was highlighted by the defense which held Holy Cross to a .024 hitting percentage. Lal Akin led the charge with five of Colgate's 22 total block assists, while Milan Bayless and Greta Hoogstra each tallied four. Taylor Cigna led the squad with 22 digs. 

Gillian Hauschild (11) and Carlie Rzeszotarski (10) led Colgate's offensive attack with double-digit kills. The Raiders as a team connected at a .229 hitting clip. 

COACH BAKER'S COMMENTS

"This was a very good road win. Our defensive effort was strong against a scrappy Holy Cross team. I really like how we are competing right now. Our effort, leadership, and togetherness are really standing out."

HOW IT HAPPENED

Set 1 | Colgate 25, Holy Cross 13
Kills from Abby Shadwick and Hauschild guided an early 5-0 lead bookended by a service ace from Sydney Jones. The lead continued to grow when three straight kills from Tiana Owens stretched the margin to 20-10, which carried the weight to the opening-set victory. 

Set 2 | Colgate 25, Holy Cross 16
Colgate's defense was on full display in the second set, limiting the Crusaders to a -.051 hitting percentage with eight blocks. Hoogstra and Owens teamed up for a rejection that pushed Colgate in front 10-5, and then another block from Hoogstra and Bayless stretched the lead to 18-8. One more rejection – this time from Rzeszotarski and Téa Bosanac – sealed the second set for Colgate.

Set 3 | Colgate 25, Holy Cross 21
Holy Cross opened an 8-6 lead when Rzeszotarski landed a pair of kills in a 5-0 Raider surge that tilted the momentum. Owens and Rzeszotarski found success at the top of the tape to extend Colgate's margin to 15-11 which remained the lead for most of the set. The teams traded points down the stretch before Bayless drilled home the match-point kill to complete the sweep.

UP NEXT
Colgate returns home for two matches next weekend. The Raiders host Lafayette at 6 p.m. for Senior Day on Friday before welcoming Lehigh on Saturday at 3 p.m.