WATERVILLE, Maine — Colby celebrated senior day with a commanding 3–0 sweep over Bates College on Saturday afternoon at the Margaret M. Crook Center. The Mules improved to 17–1 overall and 7–1 in NESCAC play, securing their eighth consecutive conference win and continuing their strong home-court presence. Colby out-killed the Bobcats 46–27, posted a 40–26 edge in assists, and finished with advantages in aces (6–3) and digs (56–51) while hitting .138 to Bates's .110, overcoming an early serving onslaught and the visitors' blocking edge to close each set with poise.
The first set was a battle of momentum swings as Bates opened with a 4–0 lead fueled by early Colby errors and two service aces from the Bobcats. The Mules quickly found its rhythm behind the offense of
Brady Moseley and
Cyanne Jones, who combined for several crucial kills to close the gap. After a back-and-forth exchange late in the frame,
Alexa Peguero and Moseley delivered the final points to push Colby past Bates, 26–24. Momentum fully shifted in the second set thanks to a stellar serving run from
Gabby Grujic, who opened the frame with two aces and multiple assists that gave the Mules an early 5–0 lead. Colby's attack balanced out with contributions from
LJ Grant,
Marjorie Johnson, and
Sydney Bopp, as Colby maintained steady control and closed the set 25–19. Grujic and
Jordan Lee each distributed the offense efficiently, keeping Bates off balance with quick transitions and consistent passing. In the third,
Alli McKenney's rotation swung momentum for good: the sophomore delivered two aces and fueled a multi-point run that featured three
LJ Grant kills, and the Mules closed 25–21 by forcing a final attack error.
Moseley led a double-double lead with 14 kills and 15 digs, Grant added 10 kills and 10 digs, and Johnson chipped in five kills. At the line, McKenney and Grujic led with two aces apiece while Jones and Lee added one each. Lee and Grujic shared the setting load with 15 assists each,
Sydney DeProfio supplied five in relief, and a balanced front, paced by Peguero,
Sydney Bopp, and Jones, came up with the timely blocks that concluded the sweep.
Next, Colby travels to Whitewater, Wisconsin for the Wisconsin–Whitewater Tournament, opening against Augustana College (Ill.) on Friday, Oct. 24 at 4:00 p.m. CT (5:00 p.m. ET).
