The volleyball team saw its losing streak reach 12 games over the weekend with a loss at Colgate University before finally snapping it in a 3-2 road victory against Holy Cross.
In Friday’s match against the Raiders, the Leopards (2-13 Patriot League, 7-17 overall) leaped to an early 11-7 lead in the opening set. The Maroon and White withstood a series of Colgate (13-2 Patriot League, 16-10 overall) scoring runs, and a pair of kills from freshman Destiny McKenzie helped the Leopards take a 26-25 lead.
The Leopards’ woes of ceding scoring runs continued, as Colgate strung together one more 3-0 run that sealed the set victory for the Raiders.
In the second set, the Raiders overcame an early 1-0 deficit to take the lead, and the Leopards never narrowed the gap, falling 25-13. Colgate notched 17 kills in the set compared to the Maroon and White’s seven.
Colgate’s momentum continued into the third set, as the Raiders won in a wire-to-wire 25-16 set victory to make another straight-set loss for the Leopards.
Last Friday’s game was going to have to be put in the past quickly, however, as the Leopards immediately departed on a four-hour drive to Worcester, Massachusetts, to face Holy Cross (0-15 Patriot League, 2-22 overall) on Saturday.
“We were just very, very excited to turn it around for Holy Cross the next day,” sophomore Emma Patmon said. “We were all in high spirits and very ready and very motivated to come out and compete.”
Saturday’s match was filled with more “tension and excitement” according to Patmon.
The first set was dominated by sophomore middle blocker Irelynd Lorenzen and junior outside hitter Carol Ulichney, who led the team with 13 kills each. The Crusaders never once led in the set, as the Leopards took the first set in dominating fashion, winning 25-14.
“We wanted to end the season on a high note, just for our pride and just to compete and continue to put in the work and just to enjoy our last couple weeks of the season and just to finish out strong,” Patmon said.
Coming off the momentum of the previous set, the Leopards stormed out to a 5-1 lead. The Crusaders clawed back into the match, and with the two teams knotted at 23-23, the Leopards lost the final two points of the set, falling 25-23.
Senior outside hitter Abby Nieporte and Patmon helped secure the third set for the Leopards. The Leopards again took an early lead that the Crusaders again cut into, but a pair of kills from Nieporte sealed the deal for the Maroon and White.
The Crusaders dominated the fourth set 25-14, sending the two teams to a fifth and final set.
With nine tied scores and five lead changes, the set went back and forth before the Crusaders surged to a 12-8 lead. A 4-0 Leopards run evened the score, and a trio of kills from Nieporte, Ulichney and Lorenzen.
The Leopards will finish their season against Army West Point (9-6 Patriot League, 13-11 overall) this Saturday.
“We are all ready just to put it all out there,” Patmon said. “We want to end on the highest note that we possibly can.”