HAMILTON, N.Y. –– With playoff implications riding on the match for both teams, the Navy volleyball team overcame three match points against it to defeat Colgate in five sets Saturday afternoon at Cotterell Court in Hamilton, N.Y.  The Mids (19-8, 11-3 Patriot League) posted a 25-19, 11-25, 25-15, 17-25, 18-16 victory over the Raiders (13-13, 8-6).
 
The victory clinches the No. 2 seed for Navy in the upcoming four-team Patriot League Tournament.  The Mids will be the second seed in the event for the second year in a row.  Colgate is currently alone in third place by one win over Loyola, Army and Lehigh.  However, Loyola plays later tonight at Army and Lehigh plays Sunday at Lafayette.  Two matches will remain in the regular season for all teams after tomorrow's match between the Mountain Hawks and the Leopards.
 
The score was tied 13 times and the lead changed hands twice over the course of the first four sets.  Set five saw the score tied 12 times and the lead exchanged four times.
 
Colgate ran off three-straight points to take a 10-8 lead in the final frame.  The Raiders stayed in front by scores of 11-9 and 12-10 before the Mids tied the score at 12-12.  Colgate responded with back-to-back points to reach match point with a 14-12 lead.  Olivia Rozmus (Jr., Chicago, Ill.) posted a kill to draw the Mids to within one point, then a kill by Sarena Seelbach (Jr., Chapel Hill, N.C.) tied the score at 14-14.  Colgate regained the lead on a kill, but gave the ball back to Navy on a service error.  Seelbach notched another kill to take Navy to its first match-point chance, but a Colgate kill allowed the Raiders to extend the match.  Back to the middle went Navy setter Patricia Mattingly (Sr., New Albany, Ind.) and she found Seelbach for another kill to give Navy a 17-16 lead.  To the middle again went Mattingly on the next point, this time to Katie Patrick (Sr., Aurora, Colo.), who registered a kill to end the two-hour, 20-minute match.
 
"It was a roller-coaster night for both teams," said Navy head coach Paco Labrador.  "Winning the fifth set on the road is a tough task, and I am proud of our resilience."
 
This is the sixth year in a row Navy and Colgate have played a five-set match.  The Raiders had won each of the previous five such matches.  Additionally, this is the first time since 2004 in which the Mids won both regular season matches from the Raiders.
 
Seelbach and Rozmus each tallied three kills in the fifth stanza, but Kelsey Kingsland (Sr., Blackwell, Mo.) led the way with four kills on four swings in the abbreviated set.  Defensively for Navy, Darby Minton (Sr., Chino Hills, Calif.) grabbed five of her 11 digs in the fifth set.
 
The hitting percentages in each set told the story of the match.  Navy held advantages of .243-.065 in winning set one and .278-.100 in winning set three, while Colgate won set two with a .286-(-).059 cushion and set four with a .250-.030 advantage.
 
Navy hit .385 in set five and Colgate posted a .296 hitting percentage in the last set.  In all, the Raiders (57-25-159) led the Mids (55-27-166), .201-.169.  Both teams also grabbed 73 digs, Navy held an 8-4 edge in blocks and Colgate dropped in seven aces to four for the Mids.
 
Kingsland and Rozmus each notched 13 kills in the match with Maddi Sgattoni (So., Pittsburgh, Pa.) knocking down 12 kills.  Rozmus also led Navy's front row defense with five blocks, and Sgattoni snared 11 digs to post a double-double.  Mattingly dished out 45 assists and grabbed 14 digs for a double-double of her own, while Sydney Shearn (Sr., Louisville, Ky.) snared a Navy-best 21 digs.
 
"We are looking forward to a good practice week and another opportunity to play on the road next week," said Labrador.
 
Navy, which is ending the year with five-straight road matches, will close the regular season with matches Thursday at Lafayette and Friday at Holy Cross.  The Crusaders posted a four-set victory over American on Saturday, handing the Eagles their first loss to a league team since Navy won a four-set match in September, 2017.  That win keeps the Crusaders alive for the tournament.
 
Patriot League Standings (Remaining Schedule; Top 4 make the playoffs)
13-1 American (vs. Lehigh, at Army)
11-3 Navy (at Lafayette, at Holy Cross)
8-6 Colgate (at Lehigh, vs. Loyola)
7-6 Loyola (at Army, at Bucknell, at Colgate)
7-6 Army (vs. Loyola, at Bucknell, vs. American)
7-6 Lehigh (at Lafayette, at American, vs. Colgate)
6-8 Holy Cross (vs. Navy, vs. Lafayette)
1-12 Bucknell (at Lafayette, vs. Army, vs. Loyola)
0-12 Lafayette (vs. Bucknell, vs. Lehigh, vs. Navy, at Holy Cross)