NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Two teams coming off NCAA tournament appearances lived up to the billing, with Colgate (2-6) falling to Yale (4-2) in another five-set feature on Sunday afternoon at John J. Lee Amphitheater. 

This was the third straight five-set match of the weekend for Yale, which won all three to extend its home winning streak to 25 dating back to 2022. Colgate nearly snapped the nation's third-longest home winning streak but couldn't quite finish off the marathon. 

Abby Shadwick once again led Colgate with a double-double effort behind 15 kills and 12 digs. First-year Tiana Owens shined with 13 kills and a .219 hitting percentage. Sydney Jones racked up 20 assists, four service aces, and 15 digs for another double-double. 

HOW IT HAPPENED 

Set 1 | Colgate 25, Yale 16
Colgate got off to a hot start fueled by Owens, who landed a kill down the line to build an early 14-7 lead. Owens set the tone throughout the set, totaling a match-high seven kills to lead both sides. She drilled two more kills in a 4-0 Raider spurt that expanded the lead to 19-10. Yale put together a quick 4-0 response but an attack error gave Colgate the opening set, 25-16. 

Set 2 | Yale 25, Colgate 16
The home team got into a rhythm in Set 2, hitting .405 overall. After a back-and-forth start, Yale collected a 10-2 surge capped off by a pair of kills from Laurece Abraham to separate its lead to 15-8. Shadwick landed a pair of kills to bring Colgate within 17-14, but Yale used a pair of 4-0 runs down the stretch to take the frame 25-16 and even the match at 1-1 apiece. 

Set 3 | Yale 25, Colgate 19
Colgate fell behind early but worked back into the set with a 4-0 surge thanks to three straight attack errors by Yale. The hosts unfortunately countered with five unanswered points before a kill by Owens trimmed Colgate's deficit to 17-12. The two went back and forth from there, with Yale scoring the final two points to close off the frame, 25-19. 

Set 4 | Colgate 25, Yale 13
The Raiders were poised to send this match to five, dominating the fourth frame in large part due to eight service aces.Jones was unstoppable from the service line, racking up four consecutive aces that took the life out of the Bulldogs late in the fourth set. Lal Akin, Libby Overmyer, and Maddie Rudolph combined for four blocks in the dominant set victory.

Set 5 | Yale 15, Colgate 11
Colgate's momentum carried over to the start of the fifth set, and a kill by Frances Torres put the Raiders in front 5-2. The Bulldogs worked their way back into the set and took the lead for good on the heels of a 4-0 run that gave them a 10-7 lead. Tiana Owens landed back-to-back kills to draw the Raiders within 11-9, but Yale didn't relinquish the lead and held on for the victory.

UP NEXT
Colgate closes early non-conference action by hosting Big 12 foe Iowa State on Thursday at 6 p.m.