Oct. 22, 2005

HAMILTON, N.Y. -- Colgate University senior Allie Nichols (Sacramento, Calif./Sacramento) posted her fourth career triple-double this evening with 12 kills, 43 assists, and 14 digs to lead the Raider volleyball team to a thrilling 3-2 victory over Navy in a crucial Patriot League match on Cotterell Court this evening. Nichols served 11 straight points in the fifth game to help Colgate secure the win. She is the only player to record four career triple-doubles in the history of Colgate volleyball.

The Raiders improved to 5-17 and 4-5 in Patriot League play with an outstanding 30-27, 30-18, 23-30, 17-30, 15-1 win. Navy falls to 15-7 and 6-4 in conference action.

After dropping the second and third game, the Raiders headed into their first fifth game of the season. Nichols opened the game and racked up 11 unanswered points to bring the boisterous crowd to its feet. Freshman Katrina Zawojski (Palo Alto, Calif./Palo Alto) posted four kills during the stretch, helping Raiders finish with an outstanding .800 hitting percentage for the game.

Zawojski just missed posting her first career triple-double, finishing the match with 22 kills, 10 digs, and nine assists. Nichols recorded a season-best .435 hitting percentage, making just two errors on 23 attacks.

Colgate fell behind 4-1 early in the first game, but used a 14-3 run to break open the opening contest 15-7. Zawojski served 11 straight points for the Raiders during that stretch to put Colgate ahead by eight midway through the game.

The Midshipmen battled back to cut the lead to one, 27-26, but a kill from sophomore Sheila Giovannini (Waltham, Mass./Arlington Catholic) put the Raiders up by two again. Zawojski tacked on two more kills to close the game out at 30-27.

It was all Colgate in the second game as the Raiders roared out to an 8-3 lead behind the serving of Nichols and freshman Jackie Adlam (Marin, Calif./Marin Academy). The Midshipmen climbed back to within three, 12-9, but the Raiders took over with five straight points on their way to the 30-18 win.

The Colgate defense frustrated Navy in that second game, forcing the Mids to make 10 errors and post a .053 hitting percentage. Meanwhile, the Raiders' attack flourished, hitting .379 for the game with 14 kills and just three errors on 29 attacks. It was a team effort on defense for Colgate, as sophomore Erin Kanetzke (Cincinnati, Ohio/Ursuline Academy) and junior Marybeth Maziarz (Wilbraham, Mass./Minnechaug Regional) both had four total blocks. Giovannini, Zawojski, and freshman Merryl Pohl (Seattle, Wash./Bishop Blanchet) each finished with three. Adlam once again led the team with a match-high 30 digs, her fourth outing with at least 30. She needs just 15 to surpass Natalie Rawson '05 as the single-season record holder for digs.

The Mids came out of the long break and controlled play to win the third and fourth games and set up the exciting fifth game. Navy held Colgate to just a combined 18 kills and hitting percentages of -.023 and .059, respectively, while posting 35 of its own.

The Midshipmen had three players finish with double-doubles. Freshman Jessie Sims finished with a team-best 14 kills and 22 digs, while senior Beth McArthur had 13 kills and 12 digs. Junior Ashley Musser recorded 12 kills and 34 assists. The Mids finished with a .179 hitting percentage, while Colgate had a .211 percentage.

The Raiders return to action on Oct. 28, traveling to first-place Army for a 7 p.m., contest.