Volleyball Ends Stellar Season in NESCAC Playoffs
In a packed Margaret M. Crook Center Sunday, the No. 2 seeded Mules hosted a NESCAC Quarterfinals matchup taking on the No. 10 Bowdoin Polar Bears. Bowdoin was fresh off a play-in victory Friday at Hamilton.
Colby looked to secure the victory on their home court and add on to their 17-win season (most since 2005), however Bowdoin had won four of its last five matches and executed down the stretch. Colby won the first set, but the Polar Bears played consistent on the serve and at the net to take the final three sets to advance to the semifinal round next weekend.
In the end Colby tallied 47 kills compared to Bowdoin’s 42 while also racking up an impressive 11 blocks as a team. Brady Moseley led the offense with 11 kills followed by Emma Davis with eight and Marjorie Johnson with eight. Allison Rodriguez and Jordan Lee combined for 38 assists while Reanna Yadao contributed 25 digs. Johnson had a career-high six blocks.
Statistically the Mules finished first in digs in the conference totaling 1573 over the course of the season (a 18.08 per set average) and first in opponent hitting percentage at .119. Individually, Yadao tallied the second-highest single game digs total when she recorded 38 versus Amherst in just four sets. The defensive specialist placed 5th overall in the NESCAC with a 4.91 dig average per set. Sydney Bopp finished 6th in blocks, averaging 0.90 per set (63 blocks in total), while Moseley finished 7th in kills averaging 2.90 a set (232 total).
The young squad will look to bounce back next fall and compete once again for the NESCAC Championship.
Tufts Controls Line of Scrimmage, Tops Mules
Colby ran into a powerful Tufts team on Saturday in Medford. The Jumbos, despite a loss last week to Hamilton in five overtimes, had scored 34 or more points in each of their last three games heading into the contest.
The Mules played tough, going toe to toe through the first frame. Colby forced a three-and-out on Tufts' first possession, but a shortened field on their second allowed the hosts to cruise 28 yards on five plays to open the scoring three minutes into the contest.
Colby responded with an 11-play 56-yard drive, stalling with a missed field goal attempt. The Jumbos scored once more in the first quarter and twice in the second to take a 24-0 lead into the half. Controlling the line of scrimmage to the tune of 357 total yards of offense (to Colby's 70), Tufts maintained momentum for the remainder to move to 5-2 on the season (38-0). They lead the conference with 185 rushing yards/game.
Colby was led defensively by Mark Kassis (10 tackles) with his first double-digit tackle performance of his career. Julian Young was right behind with nine, ranking second in the conference in total tackles despite playing two fewer games than the leader. Locksley Burke had the longest play from scrimmage for the Mules, marking the longest of his career with a 21-yard rush.
Colby returns to Mayflower Hill for their two remaining contests, eyeing the Polar Bears of Bowdoin this Saturday for a game under the lights. Kickoff is slated for 5:00pm.
Special thank you to the photographers who helped make this production possible: Bonnie Baker Photography, Cole Burkhart '24, Steve Cheney P25, Stephen R. Clouthier, Ashley Conti, Jamie Fiedorek '25, Colin Flood '26, Steve Fuller @flyingpoint, Michael Garrett P23, Andrew Hearns P24, Peter Li '26, Michael Maher, Joshua McKee, Dustin Satloff '15, Ellie Sawyer P25, Bill Stevenson P24, Isadora Wells '26, Ansley White '26