Oct. 28, 2006
Box Score
EASTON, Pa. (www.lafayette.edu) - Lafayette capped a grueling four-game road stint with a 3-1 win over Colgate late Saturday afternoon in Patriot League volleyball action, completing the Leopards' season sweep of the Raiders.
The win improved Lafayette to 15-8 overall and 7-4 in the Patriot League, while Colgate moved to 13-13 and 5-6 in the conference. Three league games remain on the Leopards schedule, with post-season implications still up in the air. Lafayette plays its last four matches at Kirby Sports Center, where the team boasts a 10-2 record this season.
The Leopards took the first two games from Colgate and set the tone early on. A back-and-forth match through all four games, the Leopards ground out a 30-25 win in game four to seal the deal.
In the opener, junior middle Maura Kelly served for six straight points and gave Lafayette an early 12-5 lead. Freshman Cara Mulholland notched three kills in that stretch. However, the Raiders came charging back to take a 21-19 lead late in the game. Over the next few plays, the teams exchanged points and tied the score at 23-all. Lafayette turned things up from there, outscoring Colgate 7-2 to finish the game with a 30-25 win. Senior Veronica Canto-Ponce came up with a pair of timely kills, while Kelly and classmate Michaela Donohue registered two blocks.
The Leopards kept the ball rolling in game two, breaking open an 11-7 lead on another kill from Mulholland. Colgate again fought back, but Lafayette kept at least a three-point advantage during the middle portion of play. The Raiders peaked at the right time, tying the score, 25-25, on a kill from Merryl Pohl. A Colgate error two plays later locked up the score at 27-all, and Lafayette owned the ensuing three points, including consecutive kills from Donohue to end the match with a 30-27 win.
Lafayette was unable to find rhythm in a 30-23 loss in the third game, but managed to rebound for a 30-25 win in game four. A pair of Canto-Ponce kills, another from junior Karla Barbiche, and a block from senior Shannon Fisher put the Leopards in front 11-8 early on. From that point Lafayette never trailed, shrugging off any late attempts at a Colgate comeback. Canto-Ponce finished the game with another set of kills and a block, giving her team its 15th win in 19 matches.
Mulholland equaled a match-high 18 kills, while Canto-Ponce drilled 17 to with her 11 digs and five blocks. Donohue and Fisher came up with 16 and 15 kills, respectively. Donohue completed her second straight double-double with 19 digs, while Fisher notched six blocks. Freshman libero Kari Horn stabilized the Lafayette defense with a match-best 25 digs, and sophomore setter Megan Carter finished with 56 assists.
The Leopards return to College Hill for a non-league battle with Quinnipiac on Wednesday night at 7 p.m.
