University of Albany Volleyball Defeats Colgate, 3-1, in Non-Conference Match-Up - UAlbany Sports 2009

Hamilton, N.Y. - Kalyn Mostert recorded a kill and then served for the final three points, including a service ace on match point to lead UAlbany to a 3-1 win over Colgate in non-conference volleyball action on Wednesday evening at Cotterell Court. The Great Danes took the match with scores of 23-25, 25-19, 26-24 and 25-23.

UAlbany jumped out to an early 4-0 lead in the first set, forcing Colgate to take a quick timeout. The Raiders regrouped and scored seven straight points behind the service game of Logan Kaela, with a kill by Maureen Colligan giving Colgate a 7-4 advantage and sending the Great Danes into a timeout of their own. It was UAlbany's turn to bounce back, as the Great Danes regained the lead with consecutive Colgate attack errors and a service ace by Laura Livergood. Hillary White converted back-to-back kills to give UAlbany a 12-9 lead before Colgate regained control and induced consecutive attack errors by the Great Danes, tying it back up at 12-12. The set remained knotted for several points before Colgate took a 22-20 lead on a kill by Kaleigh Durket. Brooke Stanley and Casey Wright teamed up for a block to tie the set one last time at 23-23, but a UAlbany service error followed by a Colgate service ace gave the Raiders the set.

In the second set, Colgate jumped out to an early 6-3 lead with a block assist by Durket and Casey Ritt. The Great Danes tied up the set and took a 9-8 lead on a Raider attack error followed by a kill by White. With that kill, UAlbany rattled four of the next five points to take a 12-9 lead on a kill by Valerie Sourbeer. Holding a 13-12 advantage, the Great Danes scored six straight points behind the service game of Laurie Gonzalez, including one service ace and a block by Dunja Prgomet and Wright. UAlbany got to set point on a kill by White, but Colgate kept play going with a kill by Kaylee Dougherty and taking advantage of a Great Dane error to pull with in 24-19. Sourbeer closed out the set with a kill, taking an assist from Stanley.

Set three was a back-and-fourth affair from the opening serve, with neither team taking command until UAlbany broke out to build up a 14-10 advantage on a Colgate attack error. The Great Danes continued to expand their lead, getting up 19-12 with a block by White. The Raiders refused to fold, pulling within 24-23 with a Ritt kill. Colgate tied the score on set point, but UAlbany got back-to-back kills by Prgomet to take the set.

UAlbany had a chance to put the match away in the fourth set, but fell behind 5-1 in the early going. The Raiders built up an 8-2 advantage with a service ace by Devon Applegate, but the Great Danes rallied back to pull within 10-9 on an ace by Kalyn Mostert followed by a kill by Teresa Coppiellie. Colgate regained the lead, and built up a 14-11 advantage on a UAlbany attack error, but the Great Danes rallied to tie the set at 14-14 on a kill by Gonzalez. After Blaire Safir and Dougherty combined for a block to put Colgate back on top, UAlbany rattled off four consecutive points to put the Great Danes ahead, 18-15. The Raiders battled back once again, tying the set at 21-21 before taking a 23-21 lead on a Safir kill. UAlbany continued to rally, knotting the set at 23-23 on a kill by Mostert. Mostert then took over the serve for the Great Danes, getting two straight kills from Coppiellie and ending the match with a service ace.

Sourbeer led UAlbany with 15 kills, while Wright and White recorded 13 and 12 kills, respectively. Mostert added nine kills and 19 digs, along with three service aces. Stanley totaled 53 assists to quarterback the UAlbany offense, while Gonzalez anchored the Great Dane defense with a match-high 31 digs.

Durket finished with a double-double, totaling 17 kills and 13 digs for Colgate (4-9), while Ritt added 14 kills. Applegate recorded a team-high 17 digs, while setter Meghan Fanta finished with 24 assists for the Raiders.

UAlbany (9-8) will return to action on Sunday, kicking off America East Conference play, visiting New Hampshire at 1 p.m.

Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information