Lyndonville, VT: The SUNY Cobleskill women's volleyball team put on a commanding performance, recording a season-high 21 service aces to overpower VTSU-Lyndon 3-0 (25-3, 25-14, 25-12) in their North Atlantic Conference opener on Friday night.
 
Second-year standout Kathleen Smart (Nashville, Tenn./Pope John Paul II Prep) led the charge with a career-best 12 service aces, while also contributing seven kills and nine digs with a .235 hitting percentage. Libero Jojo Haycock (Bowie, Md) anchored the defense with 10 digs, and setter Baylee Kirschberg (Lindenhurst, NY) paced the offense, handing out a game-high 13 assists along with four digs. First-year middle hitter Ciarra Jager (Stephentown, NY/New Lebanon) added seven kills on .167 hitting with two digs and a solo block.
 
The Tigers dominated in nearly every statistical category, dishing out 24 assists to Lyndon's seven, posting a staggering 21-1 advantage in service aces, and out-digging their opponents 42-24. Cobleskill finished the match with a .167 hitting percentage, while the Hornets struggled to a -.123.
 
Cobleskill wasted no time establishing control in the opening set, jumping out to a 5-0 lead behind kills from Jager and Smart. The Tigers built a commanding 20-1 advantage before a kill by Hallie Gasner, set up by Kirschberg, extended the lead. Smart closed out the set with a well-placed spike for a dominant 25-3 win.
 
In the second set, Cobleskill capitalized on six early errors from the Hornets to take control. VTSU-Lyndon closed the gap to 11-9, but the Tigers responded with a five-point run, bolstered by two service aces from Smart, pushing the lead to 21-11. Jager's kill and a pair of Lyndon miscues secured the 25-14 set victory.
 
The third set mirrored the first two, with Cobleskill racing out to an 8-4 lead after an ace by Jade Ward. The Tigers then went on a nine-point run to extend their lead to 17-6. Fittingly, Smart sealed the match with her final service ace, clinching the 25-12 win and the road sweep.
 
The Fighting Tigers will return to action tomorrow, October 12, as they take on VTSU-Johnson at 1:00 p.m., hosted by VTSU-Lyndon.