WHITEWATER, Wis. — In a heavyweight Saturday at Kris Russell Volleyball Arena, Colby went the distance twice, first pushing No. 3 Wisconsin–Oshkosh before falling 2–3 (25–17, 20–25, 25–23, 15–25, 9–15), then rallying to defeat No. 8 Wisconsin–Whitewater 3–2 (18–25, 25–16, 25–22, 19–25, 15–11). The Mules showed their mettle throughout a ten-set day, answering ranked opposition with sustained serving pressure, organized blocking, and poised backcourt play to leave Whitewater with a signature road win and a split.
Against Oshkosh, Colby dictated the first and third frames with efficient side-out offense at .300 and .240, leveraging first-contact quality to free the middles and pins. The Titans responded in kind, raising their level to .324 in the fourth and settling the match with a steadier fifth set, .238 to Colby's .038. The margins reflected a top-five battle: both teams posted 12 blocks, Colby trailed narrowly in digs 79–83 and at the line 5–9 in aces, and the Titans finished slightly ahead in hitting percentage, .219 to .193. Colby's balance carried the effort, with LJ Grant rallying 13 kills and an ace, Brady Moseley adding 12 kills, and Kendall Glover turning in a two-way performance with 12 kills and eight blocks. Alexa Peguero chipped in four blocks and Marjorie Johnson three more, while Gabby Grujic steered the offense with 31 assists and 15 digs alongside Sydney DeProfio's 16 assists. Libero Reese Loyd anchored the floor with a match-high 23 digs.
Colby regrouped for the nightcap and flipped the script on the host Warhawks, closing a tense fifth set behind cleaner side-out play and an 8–4 edge in kills while holding Wisconsin–Whitewater to .000 in the deciding set. After a slow opener, the Mules' serve-and-block package reshaped the match—10 aces and 13 blocks overall—and the back row absorbed volume at a 86–82 digs advantage. Even with the Warhawks holding the slight efficiency edge for the match (.148 to .118), the Mules controlled the pivotal sequences late in Sets 2, 3, and 5. Moseley led the way with 16 kills and an ace, Johnson and Cyanne Jones supplied nine kills apiece with Jones adding a standout five aces and seven blocks, and Peguero and Glover fortified the net with six and four blocks, respectively. Grujic again paced the attack with 31 assists and 16 digs, DeProfio added 18 assists in tandem, and Loyd posted a team-high 19 digs.
The split moves Colby to 19–2 overall and highlights the Mules' readiness for the stretch run: a narrow set-by-set battle with a national top-three followed by a composed ranked road win in the same gym on the same day. Colby returns to the NESCAC competition next Friday against Trinity College in Hartford.
