The American University volleyball team battled back from a 2-0 deficit to hand Colgate its first Patriot League loss of the season, 3-2, in Hamilton, N.Y. on Friday night.

Colgate (11-6, 4-1) opened the first set on a 5-0 run to go up 9-3 and an ace by Allie Dyer capped off a 4-0 run by the Raiders for the 16-9 advantage. The Eagles fought back within five, 20-15, on a kill by Morgan Hendrix but Colgate answered with four straight points and closed out the set with a kill by Lindsay Young for the 25-16 win. 

The two teams battled back and fourth to open the second set. But the Raiders notched seven straight points for a nine point lead, 17-8, and closed out the set with six straight tallies for the 25-10 win and 2-0 match advantage.

After an early Colgate lead in the third set, American (19-2, 5-1) knotted it up at 6-all with four straight points. The Eagles took an 8-7 lead on consecutive kills by Kristyna Lindovska and Allison Cappellino, but the Raiders struck again, going up 12-8. The match was tied five more times before a 6-3 run by American secured the 25-22 victory. 

The Eagles went up 5-1 in the fourth set and after a kill by Young tied it up at 10-all, American pulled away with four consecutive tallies for the 14-10 advantage. Colgate continued to fight back as it looked for its fifth straight Patriot League win, tying the set at 23 on a block by Diane Seely and Kate Reilly. But the Eagles were able to hold off the Raiders after back-to-back kills from Kelly McCaddin forced a decisive fifth set.

Colgate struck first in the fifth set but American answered and never trailed in the remainder of the match. Consecutive kills by Lindovska gave the Eagles a 7-3 advantage and American completed the comeback with a 5-1 run for the 15-7 win. 

Lindovska and Monika Smidova registered double-doubles for the Eagles in the match. Lindovska led the team with 15 kills and 12 digs while Smidova notched 29 assists and 11 digs. McCaddin posted 10 blocks to lead American at the net and Megan Rosburg led the defensive effort with 16 digs.

Kaylee Fifer and Kathleen Harris had double-doubles for the Raiders. Fifer finished with 46 assists and 10 digs and Harris posted 11 kills and 11 digs. Young led Colgate with 13 kills and Caitlin Cremin tallied 22 digs. The Raiders outhit American, .145 to .093, for the match. 

The Eagles are back in action tomorrow, Saturday, October 12 at 4 p.m. when it takes on Lehigh in Bethlehem, Pa.