ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- Five weeks after recording a reverse sweep –– winning sets three, four and five –– to defeat Colgate in Hamilton, N.Y., the Navy volleyball did the exact same thing to the Raiders (9-11, 4-7) Saturday at the Wesley A. Brown Field House in Annapolis. The Mids (9-10, 7-4) dropped the first two sets by scores of 25-23 and 25-22, then won the remaining three sets by scores of 25-22, 25-19 and 15-12.
"Our ball control and defense steadied out after set two and we found the right combination of players for the challenges Colgate presented," said Navy head coach
Paco Labrador. "We have a team full of players ready to step up at any moment, and today we received the boost we needed.
"What a great way to end our Navy volleyball celebration weekend. Our alumni have always been our biggest supporters and having them here with us this weekend is inspirational."
Navy has recorded a pair of reverse sweeps in the same season for the fourth time (1995, 1999, 2012, 2026).
Additionally, this is the first time the Mids have won both regular season meetings over Colgate since the 2018 campaign.
Set One
Colgate raced out to a 6-1 lead at the start of the match and still held an 11-7 advantage when a 7-0 Navy run gave it a 14-11 lead. The Mids soon led by as many as six points at 21-15 and then held a 23-20 lead. A Colgate block followed by three kills and an ace gave the Raiders a 5-0 run to close out the set.
Set Two
Colgate held several early three-point leads until it built a 17-11 cushion. Navy drew to within one point at 18-17 only to fall behind 20-17 and 21-18. The Mids answered with a 3-0 run on a kill from
Farrah Eike, an ace by Eike and a kill from
Izzy Picard. Colgate broke the tie with a kill, then doubled the modest lead to 23-21 on an ace. A Raiders attack error made it 23-22, but back-to-back Colgate kills finished the set.
Set Three
Navy had a good start to the third set as it took an 8-4 lead and eventually stretched the margin to five points at 11-6. The Raiders closed to within one point at 13-12 only to see the Mids regain a 17-12 and 19-14 lead. Colgate winnowed the margin down to three points a few times and then made it a two-point score at 22-20.
A Navy timeout was followed by a Colgate service error, then a kill by the Raiders again made it a two-point difference at 23-21.
Paige Buzzerio took Navy to set point with a kill, but another Colgate kill closed the margin to 24-22. Eike ended the stanza and extended the match with a kill.
Set Four
Navy took what would prove to be the lead for good when it scored three-straight points to take an 8-6 lead. It was a precarious lead for awhile until the Mids went on a 4-0 run to take a 19-12 advantage. The margin would stay at least four points over the rest of the set.
Set Five
Navy carried the momentum from sets three and four into set five as it quickly took a 3-0 lead. Colgate soon used a 4-0 run to take an 8-6 lead, then Navy answered with three points of its own to regain a 9-8 lead. The Raiders tied the set on a kill, but that was followed by a Navy kill, a block and another kill that gave the Mids a 12-9 lead. The teams traded kills (13-10), then a Colgate kill made the score 13-11. The Raiders committed a service error to take Navy to match point, but a service error by the Mids kept play going. The ensuing point ended with an Eike kill to close the match that last 2:41.
Statistical Summary
Navy fell to 1-10 in the first set of its 11 league matches this season. However, the Mids have gone on to win six of the 10 matches in which it has lost the first set.
Neither team held any kind of significant statistical advantage over the other, except in hitting percentage where the Mids posted a .250 mark and held the Raiders to a .207 percentage.
Eike and Buzzerio each had 14 kills to lead the Navy offense.
Amara Chambers led the passers with 16 digs while Eike added 13. Both Navy setters registered double-doubles as
Isa Boyd had 25 assists and 11 digs and
Caroline Adams finished with 20 assists and 10 digs. Boyd also added three aces to finish one behind the four from team leader
Avery Maddux.
Boyd entered the day needing just four assists to become the 10th Mid during the rally scoring era (since 2001) to dish out 1,000 career assists. The junior ended the match with 1,021.
"I couldn't be happier for Isa," said Labrador. "She has been a tremendous leader for us and incredibly humble. She works as hard as anyone on the court, in the classroom and in Bancroft Hall. This milestone reflects hard work, resilience and an 'all in, all the time' mindset she brings to the program."
Up Next
Navy heads on the road for matches Friday at Lafayette and Saturday at Bucknell.
