ANNAPOLIS, Md. –– Sarena Seelbach (Jr., Chapel Hill, N.C.) and Darby Minton (Sr., Chino Hills, Calif.) combined for seven of the Navy volleyball team's nine aces in a 3-0 victory by the Mids (12-6, 4-1 Patriot League) over the Raiders (8-9, 3-2) Friday night at the Wesley A. Brown Field House in Annapolis.  The Mids defeated the Raiders, 25-20, 25-19, 25-18.
 
"This was one of our sharpest matches of the season," said Navy head coach Paco Labrador.  "The team really executed well in all aspects of the match."
 
Navy never trailed in winning the first set, but also never had any kind of comfortable lead until late.  The Mids were in front 21-19 when Patricia Mattingly (Sr., New Albany, Ind.) set Avery Stowell (Fr., Yorba Linda, Calif.) for a kill, then team captain Minton registered an ace to push the advantage to 23-19.  After a Colgate kill stopped the brief run, Mattingly found Seelbach for a kill to take Navy to set point.  The Mids closed out the frame on an attack error by the Raiders.
 
Navy took an early 8-4 lead –– with the last two points coming on aces by Seelbach –– in the second set only to see Colgate take the lead at 12-11.  The teams jockeyed the lead back and forth until Colgate held a 16-15 edge.  A service error by the Raiders tied the stanza and sent the serve to the Mids.  Navy ran off the next four points on a kill by Sgattoni, a Colgate hitting error, a block by the tandem of Stowell and Katie Patrick (Sr., Aurora, Colo.) and another kill by Sgattoni.
 
A service error by the Mids made the score 20-17, then the teams exchanged the next few points to make the score 21-18.  Afterward, Mattingly would feed first Patrick and then Sgattoni for kills, then Shearn posted an ace to give Navy a 24-18 cushion on its way to taking a 2-0 lead in frames.
 
The score was tied nine times in set three and the lead was exchanged four times.  Kelsey Kingsland (Sr., Blackwell, Mo.) posted a kill to tie the set for the what would prove to be the last time at 17-17.  Navy promptly ran off the ensuing seven points to reach match point with a 24-17 advantage.
 
Navy posted just three more kills than Colgate did, 42-39, but the Mids committed six fewer attack errors than the Raiders (18-12) on two fewer attempts (109-107).  That resulted in the Mids hitting .280 and limiting the Raiders to a mark of .193. 
 
Both teams had 45 digs and each had six blocks. 
 
The service line was the difference in the match as Navy registered nine aces and three service errors and Colgate tallied one ace and five errors.  Selbach posted a career-high four aces and Minton added three aces.
 
"Our serving was focused, our middles blocked a great match and defensively our back row really scrapped," said Labrador.  "Trish set a smart offense and Sydney really locked up Colgate's left side hitters."
 
Sgattoni tallied 11 of her match-high 12 kills in the last two sets.  She posted seven kills and no errors on 14 swings in the second set alone.
 
Navy's two middle hitters, Seelbach and Patrick, each had seven kills and just one attack error, while right-side hitter Stowell and outside hitter Kingsland each had six kills.
 
Defensively, Shearn grabbed a match-high 20 digs and Patrick with three blocks was one of five Mids with multiple blocks.
 
Navy will play host to Army West Point Saturday at 7 p.m. in the annual Star Match between the teams.