The Orange and Blue’s Patriot League opener on Sept. 18 ended in a 3-0 loss to Colgate at the Bucknell Invitational. The Bison were also defeated by Providence 3-1 on Sept. 19, despite a combative first set. The tournament ended with a 3-0 victory for the Bison over Delaware State on Sept. 19, improving the Orange and Blue’s record to 6-5 overall this season.

Despite promising efforts from Karen Campbell ’16 with 12 kills, Blake Buchholz ’19 with 11 kills, and Meghan Wentzel ’16 with 37 assists, the Bison fell to Colgate 3-0. Hailey Stout ’18 and Hana Sawanobori ’18 dominated defensive play for the Bison with nine digs each. Erika Eastley ’17 returned to play for the first time this season after her injury.

Stout led a comeback for the Bison against Providence, serving for five straight points to give the Orange and Blue an early lead. Jordan Walker ’17 gave the Bison a lead in the final set. Eastley had a solid performance for the Orange and Blue, tallying 11 kills and four blocks. The Bison could not overcome Providence and were beaten 3-1.

The tournament ended on a high note for the Bison, closing with a 3-0 victory over Delaware State. Buchholz tallied eight kills and 10 digs. Walker finished with nine digs and four kills, Katie Price ’16 with eight digs, and Wentzel contributed 26 assists. The Orange and Blue set the tone early on with a 10-1 lead in the first set and continued to dominate.

The Bison will continue conference play this weekend, hosting matches at home against Navy and American on Sept. 25-26.