Loyola Volleyball Falls to Colgate in Straight Sets
Loyola University Maryland women’s volleyball closed its two-match New York road trip with a straight-set loss to Colgate on Saturday afternoon at Cotterell Court in Hamilton, New York. The Raiders defeated the Greyhounds 25-18, 25-13 and 25-17 to earn their first Patriot League victory of the season.
The loss dropped Loyola to 2-8 overall and 0-2 in Patriot League play. Colgate improved to 6-5 overall and 1-1 in the conference. The Greyhounds struggled to slow a Colgate offense that produced one of its strongest performances of the young season.
Colgate finished the match with 44 kills compared with Loyola’s 26, according to Loyola’s official box score. The Raiders also held advantages in service aces, 8-2; blocks, 8-4; assists, 40-24; and digs, 37-29. Most importantly, Colgate hit .417 for the match while holding Loyola to a .107 hitting percentage.
Colgate Sets the Tone Early
Colgate immediately established its attack in the opening set. The Raiders recorded 17 kills with only one attacking error on 24 attempts, producing a .667 hitting percentage in the first set. Loyola countered with 12 kills but committed six errors and hit .194.
The Greyhounds remained competitive for portions of the opening set, but Colgate consistently prevented Loyola from putting together the extended run it needed to erase the deficit. With the Raiders leading 21-14, Loyola attempted a late push, but Colgate responded and finished the set with three consecutive points for a 25-18 victory.
Morgan Reese and Tiana Owens delivered kills during the closing sequence before Reese’s service ace ended the set. That finish gave the Raiders momentum heading into the second frame.
Raiders Pull Away in Second Set
Loyola stayed relatively close early in the second set and trailed 9-6 before Colgate began to create separation. The Raiders went on a 6-1 run that pushed the advantage to 14-7 and forced Loyola into a difficult position.
Colgate continued to apply pressure from the service line and at the net. After Loyola briefly interrupted the run, the Raiders answered with five consecutive points to stretch the advantage to 19-9. Ava Schabes recorded two service aces during the stretch, while Jordyn Moore supplied two kills and Reese added another.
Loyola managed only five kills in the second set and hit .045, while Colgate totaled 16 kills and hit .344. The Raiders eventually closed the set with six consecutive points to take it 25-13 and move within one set of completing the sweep.
Loyola Starts Fast in Third
The Greyhounds showed some fight in the third set and grabbed an early advantage, but Colgate gradually erased the deficit and tied the score at 10.
That proved to be the turning point.
Colgate followed by scoring nine consecutive points, its longest scoring run of the season. Headley registered three service aces during the run, while Owens supplied four kills as the Raiders turned a 10-10 tie into a commanding 19-11 advantage.
Loyola continued battling and scored four points after Colgate reached match point, but the deficit was too large to overcome. A Loyola service error ultimately finished the third set at 25-17 and completed Colgate’s three-set victory.
Greyhounds Get Balanced Production
Loyola did not have one dominant attacker, but several Greyhounds contributed offensively. Mariah Sanabia, Morgan Crawford and Elsie Afful each finished with five kills in Loyola’s official recap. Sydnee Peters added four kills.
Crawford also led the Greyhounds defensively with 12 digs. Madison Monahan recorded a team-high 12 assists, while Gabi Verdicchio contributed 10 assists in Loyola’s recap. Afful added three blocks and one service ace, while Addie Huber accounted for Loyola’s other ace.
The biggest difference came from Colgate’s ability to turn its attacks into points at a much higher rate. Owens led the Raiders with 14 kills, while Reese was particularly efficient with 11 kills and a .600 hitting percentage according to the game recap.
Colgate’s balance extended beyond its attack. The Raiders’ serving and blocking helped keep Loyola from establishing consistent offensive rhythm, and the Greyhounds finished with 17 attack errors on 84 attempts.
Greyhounds Return Home
Loyola will now return to Baltimore after opening Patriot League play with two matches in New York. The Greyhounds are scheduled to return to Reitz Arena next weekend, beginning with a Friday night match against Bucknell.
Getting back home provides Loyola with an opportunity to reset after a difficult start to conference play. The Greyhounds have shown they have several players capable of contributing offensively, but improving their overall efficiency will be important as the Patriot League schedule continues.
MSB Take
This was a difficult matchup for Loyola because Colgate controlled virtually every major statistical category. The Greyhounds had some productive individual moments, particularly from Crawford, Sanabia and Afful, but they could not sustain enough offense to challenge a Raiders team that was extremely efficient Saturday.
The encouraging part was Loyola’s willingness to continue competing in the third set despite falling behind two sets to none. Now the Greyhounds need to turn those stretches into longer runs and cut down on attack errors. Returning to Reitz Arena against Bucknell gives Loyola an opportunity to regroup and pursue its first Patriot League victory of the season.
