Volleyball Sweeps Tournament in NYC, Takes Down #7 NYU
The Mules headed to the Big Apple over the weekend for a three-game tournament hosted by the New York University Violets. After topping William Paterson in a comeback five-set victory, and Scranton in a back and fourth five-set match on Saturday, Colby brought the momentum into Sunday and dropped the 7th-ranked hosts 3-1.
In Saturday’s game one against the Pioneers, LJ Grant tied a program record with 10 aces and left herself one kill shy of a triple-double (9 kills, 10 aces, 14 digs). In the second match of the day against the Royals, Grant and Brady Moseley tallied 25 kills combined and Reese Loyd gathered 28 digs to finish the day with 47.
Against the nationally-ranked hosts on Sunday, the first set was a nail biter and set the tone for the remainder of the match. Colby found themselves down 24-20 but rallied to tie the set at 24 apiece before taking the opening set 28-26. The teams played tight the rest of the way but the Mules prevailed after winning sets two and four leading to a well fought 3-1 victory. Grant finished with 15 kills, 10 digs and three aces in the contest followed by Moseley with 11 kills and 13 digs. Gabby Grujic tied her career high with 26 assists. As a team, Colby collected 11 blocks, seven by Sydney Bopp.
Colby is now 6-1 to start the season and will look to begin conference play Friday night as they host Wesleyan to open Homecoming weekend.
Women's Soccer Tops #17 Hartford as Part of Two-Win Week
In a three-game road week, the Mules took care of business Wednesday night against USM 3-2 before squaring off against two nationally-ranked opponents (#22 Tufts and #17 Hartford) over the weekend.
Against the Jumbos on Saturday, Colby found themselves down early after a Tufts goal in the first 46 seconds of play put Tufts out in front. With two more goals saddling either side of halftime, the hosts pulled away for a 3-0 win issued Colby its first loss of the season.
The following day in West Hartford the 17th-ranked Hawks looked to avenge last year's 2-1 setback against the Mules. Colby got on the board first with a goal from Claire Walsh (first collegiate goal) in the 37th minute but the Hawks responded quickly to begin the second frame. From that point on the Mules took control, securing a goal from Charlotte Johnson off a feed from Ella Caraluzzi to take back the lead. A goal from Madison Genser with 10 minutes to play iced the game as Colby upset Hartford for the second straight year.
The Colby Women’s Soccer team is now 4-1 overall, good for fifth in the NESCAC. They will host Conn. College for Homecoming this Saturday.
Mules Take Twin Victories, Suffer First Loss at #8 Tufts
After playing only one game in the opening week of the season (5-4 2OT win over #16 Bowdoin), the Colby Field Hockey team played three matches in a matter of six days in week two. Despite a setback at #8 Tufts on Saturday, victories over UNE and Thomas bookended the week and kept the early season momentum going for the Mules.
In Biddeford on Tuesday, last week's NESCAC Player of the Week Casey Winslow followed up her hat trick against Bowdoin with another score late against UNE. Molly Mitchell's tally midway through the third quarter proved to be the game-winner in the 2-0 victory.
On Saturday the Mules and Jumbos carried a close 3-2 game into the final five minutes, but a string of goals in the closing moments by the hosts sealed the game late. Bridget Everett scored the opening goal for Colby and Lily Harrington tallied the second, assisted by Winslow.
In Sunday's showdown at Thomas, Elizabeth Takoudes (photo right) and McKay Allain scored two goals apiece, with the fifth tally coming off the stick of Winslow, pacing the Mules out to a 5-1 win.
Winslow has scored a point (goal or assist) in all four games this season for Colby and ranks third in the NESCAC with 2.75 points per game.
Colby enters Homecoming weekend with a 3-1 record, good for fifth place in the NESCAC. The Mules will host the 1-4 Conn. College Camels on Saturday.
Men's Soccer Defeats Huskies, Falls to #11 Tufts
Before falling to a nationally ranked Jumbos squad on Saturday in Medford, Mass. by a scoreline of 2-0, the Mules grabbed a 2-0 victory of their own over the University of Southern Maine in Gorham on Tuesday.
After a scoreless opening half versus the Huskies (Colby held advantages in shots 11-3 and corner kicks 8-0), the Mules came out in the second hungry to find the back of the net. In the 52nd minute the ball found Arkam Traore’s foot for a one-timer past the Huskies goalie, assisted by Andrew Kirwan. Minutes later, the Mules were awarded a penalty kick where Mario Simoes secured his third goal of the season and the 2-0 win for Colby. Goalkeeper Brendan McCarthy recorded his first shutout of the season with four saves in the victory.
Colby, now with an even 2-2 record, is set to host Conn. College on Homecoming this Saturday for their lone match of the week.
2023 Champion Trinity Holds Firm in Opener
Colby opened the season Saturday at Trinity, facing off against the 2023 NESCAC co-champions. The history of this matchup has always been a tight affair early on, and this weekend's contest proved no different.
Both teams held possession three times before Trinity lit up the scoreboard in the opening seconds of the second quarter on a quarterback scramble by graduate student Zander Zebrowski. The two opponents exchanged field position for most of the second quarter until Trinity capitalized with a 27-yard field goal with five minutes remaining, heading into the break with a 10-0 lead.
The Bantams found the end zone for the final time on the afternoon midway through the third quarter, and Colby mounted its first scoring drive of the season in the waning minutes of the fourth, moving 63 yards on 12 plays. Declan McNamara connected with Duke Ferrara in the back of the end zone for a four-yard score, and a final of 17-7.
The Mules held the Bantams to less than 100 yards rushing on the day, but Zebrowski was 29 of 34 passing for 295 yards. He had one score on the ground and one through the air. Colby was held to 54 net yards rushing on the afternoon, but Ferrara closed in on the century mark with six catches for 90 yards, both career-highs for the senior.
Sebastien Romain was a spark for the Mules on defense. The junior collected a career-high seven tackles, including 1.5 TFL. On Trinity's opening drive, Roman forced and recovered a fumble, and was credited with one pass break up and two QB hurries on the afternoon.
Colby was aided all afternoon by the leg of Christos Tzoumakas whose 42.6 yards per punt put him one yard off the conference lead. He boomed five punts over 40 yards, including strikes of 42, 45, 47, 53, and 54.
Colby welcomes Williams College to Mayflower Hill Saturday for the home opener in front of a Homecoming crowd.
Golf Takes a Pair of Podiums at UMF, Thomas
For Colby's second invitational of the season, the Mules tied for silver Saturday at the Waterville Country Club. Owen Finnerty was Colby's top golfer, placing 7th with a 77. Mitchell Ham (80) and Johnny Kinsley (81) finished 14th and 15th respectively.
In Sunday's return to WCC, Kinsley led the Mules to a 3rd place finish in the eight-team affair. His 76 slid him just off the podium into fourth place. Ham (78) once again shot well, and Ryan Harper's 81 placed 14th out of the 45 golfers.
The Mules head to Williams College next weekend, hitting the links at the Taconic Golf Club in a two-day invitational.
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, Traigh DeMasi '28, Jamie Fiedorek '25, Colin Flood '26, Steve Fuller @flyingpoint, Michael Garrett P23, Andrew Hearns P24, Peter Li '26, Michael Maher, Joshua McKee, Reese Robinson '27, Dustin Satloff '15, Ellie Sawyer P25, Bill Stevenson P24, Isadora Wells '26, Ansley White '26