DUDLEY, Mass. – The Colby-Sawyer College women's volleyball team opened the 2026 campaign in thrilling fashion on Tuesday evening, battling past Nichols College for a 3-2 victory (20-25, 25-16, 26-24, 24-26, 15-5) at the Nichols Athletic Center.
Rapid Recap:
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The Bison grabbed early momentum in the opening set, using a pair of 5-0 surges to turn a 6-6 deadlock into a 17-11 lead. Colby-Sawyer fought all the way back to level the frame at 20-20 before the Bison closed out the set with five straight points for a 25-20 win.
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Colby-Sawyer answered with authority in set two. Trailing 4-2 early, the Chargers uncorked a 7-0 run to seize a 9-4 advantage. Colby-Sawyer hit an efficient .360 in the frame, maintaining a comfortable cushion down the stretch to pull even with a 25-16 victory.
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The third frame was a back-and-forth affair that saw the Chargers stand firm in the final moments. After Nichols rallied from a 24-22 deficit to knot the score at 24-24, Colby-Sawyer responded with back-to-back clutch points to claim the set, 26-24, and take a 2-1 match lead.
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Set four brought another tense finish. Nichols pushed ahead 23-15 before Colby-Sawyer staged a furious 9-1 charge to pull even at 24-24. The Bison managed to fend off the sweep with consecutive points to take the frame, 26-24, and send the contest to a deciding fifth.
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The Chargers left no doubt in the fifth set, racing out to a commanding 5-1 lead and hitting .429 with six kills and zero errors to run away with a 15-5 win to secure the match.
Inside the Numbers:
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Junior Kamryn Brakemeier (Keller, Texas) paced the Charger attack with a team-high 11 kills and two block assists.
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First-year Liv Chandonnait and Sophomore Claire Rocky provided strong play at the net, chipping in nine and eight kills, respectively, with Rocky adding three blocks.
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Senior setter Bree Bacon (Brookline, Mass.) orchestrated the offense with a double-double, dishing out 31 assists while matching senior Madison Sinatro (Simsbury, Conn.) with a match-high 19 digs.
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First-year Haley Arp led all players from the service line with four service aces while adding three blocks.
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Colby-Sawyer held the upper hand in total kills (44-41), hitting percentage (.087 to .032), service aces (8-6), and total blocks (7-5).
Up Next:
The Chargers (1-0) head to Northampton, Mass. on Friday, September 4th to take on Smith College, with first serve scheduled for 5:00 PM.
