Holy Cross Volleyball Continues Patriot League Play Against Colgate

The Holy Cross volleyball team is set to continue Patriot League action, after falling to Army West Point earlier this week. The Crusaders will take on the Colgate Raiders this Friday, Sept. 23 at 7:05 p.m.

The Crusaders are 4-10 overall after recently falling in three matches at the Holly Young Invitational from Sept. 16-17. Holy Cross has wins over North Carolina Central (3-0; Aug. 26), Brown (3-2; Sept. 2), Quinnipiac (3-1; Sept. 10) and La Salle (3-0; Sept. 10). Leading the way for the Crusaders at outside hitter is senior co-captain Mandy Sifferlen with 217 kills (.233 hitting percentage) and 4.93 kills per set. Her kills rank second in the Patriot League and 23rd in the nation, while her kills per set are fifth in the nation and first in the conference. Her 5.45 points per set are sixth in the nation and first in the Patriot League. Sifferlen also ranks second on the team with 137 digs, notching seven double-doubles this season. Sifferlen recorded a career-high 39 kills in the 3-1 victory over Quinnipiac on Sept. 10, which are tied for 19th all-time in a single four-set match in the NCAA history. Further, her 39 kills are tied for the most in a four-set match since 2008 when the 25-point rally scoring system was initiated. To read the recap, go here. Freshman setter Lizzie Webb leads Holy Cross with 383 assists and 18 service aces. Webb is additionally third on the team with 116 digs and 18 blocks. Webb is currently first in the Patriot League in aces per set (0.41) and total service aces. She has eight double-doubles this season. In the back row, junior co-captain libero M.C. Magner has 189 digs for the team lead and ranks second in the Patriot League with 4.30 digs per set. Sophomore middle hitter Kristen Somerville leads Holy Cross with 29 blocks.

On the radar for all-time career records, senior defensive specialist Emily Popp currently ranks fourth all-time in program history with 1,248 career digs. She needs 37 more digs to be third all-time and 64 digs to set a new school record. Junior middle hitter Mary Mullen is currently seventh all-time in Holy Cross history with 205 career blocks and needs four more blocks to move up to the sixth spot. Sifferlen has 1,054 career kills, which are fourth all-time in program history. She is nine kills away from ranking third all-time.

Colgate most recently dropped 3-1 decisions to Auburn and Michigan on Sept. 17 before capturing a 3-0 victory over Eastern Michigan on Sept. 18 at the Michigan/EMU Challenge, Colgate stands 4-7 overall this season. The Raiders average a .228 hitting percentage, while posting 14.2 kills per set. On offense, Kathleen Harris leads the way with 154 kills (.239 hitting percentage), 3.58 kills per set and 14 service aces. At the net, Jaelah Hutchison leads Colgate with 37 blocks, while Madison McAndrews has 180 digs for the team lead in the back row. Head Coach Ryan Baker is in his 10th season at the helm of the Raiders.

Admission to the game is free. There are numerous ways to stay connected with the Holy Cross volleyball team. Follow the Crusaders on Twitter @HCrossVB, on Facebook at Holy Cross Volleyball, and on Instagram @holycrossvolleyball.