Castleton, VT: SUNY Cobleskill faced a challenging doubleheader against UMass-Boston and VTSU-Castleton at Glenbrook Gym on Saturday evening. The Fighting Tigers fell to UMass-Boston in straight sets (18-25, 13-25, 7-25) and then fought through a thrilling five-set battle against Castleton, ultimately falling 2-3 (25-23, 26-28, 15-25, 25-19, 11-15).

Game 1 vs. UMass-Boston

In their opener against UMass-Boston, Cobleskill struggled to find rhythm against a strong opponent. Baylee Kirschberg (Lindenhurst, NY) led the Tigers' offense with six kills and one assist, while Emma Hinze (Altenburg, Mo/Saxony Lutheran) added five kills and a service ace. Despite solid individual performances, the team's attack efficiency proved challenging, hitting -0.125 with 21 kills on 64 attempts and 26 errors. Serving was a highlight, with Cobleskill tallying six aces, led by Jade Ward (Miami, FL/Felix Varela) , who contributed three.

Defensively, Cobleskill recorded 22 digs, with Jojo Haycock (Bowie, Md) and Ashley Wright (Glenfield, NY/South Lewis) leading the effort with five and three digs, respectively, though slightly outpaced by Mass.-Boston, who totaled 27 digs. Mass.-Boston's aggressive serve pressured Cobleskill, who faced difficulties in serve receive with five receiving errors.

The first set saw UMass build an early lead before Cobleskill rallied to tie the score 13-13 on a run powered by two aces from Ward. However, the Beacons answered with an 8-1 stretch to take the set 25-18. UMass continued this momentum in the second set, jumping to a 9-2 lead. Although Cobleskill narrowed the margin to 11-8 after a kill by Kirschberg assisted by Ward, a strong 11-1 UMass run closed out the set 25-13. In the final set, UMass maintained control with an early 13-3 lead, ultimately winning 25-7.
 

Game 2 vs. VTSU-Castleton

In their second match, Cobleskill came out strong, pushing Vermont State Castleton to a five-set thriller that could have gone either way. Hallie Gasner (Middleburgh, NY) emerged as the standout for Cobleskill with 15 kills on 45 attempts and a .156 attack percentage. Kathleen Smart (Nashville, Tenn/Pope John Paul II Prep) delivered a well-rounded performance with nine kills, three aces, and a team-high 17 digs. Setter Baylee Kirschberg contributed 16 assists, six kills, and 12 digs, while Emma Hinze added 12 digs, seven kills, two blocks, and two aces. Jade Ward had a solid game as well, posting 15 assists.

The Tigers improved their offensive consistency in this match, hitting .106 across five sets with 42 kills on 151 attempts. Cobleskill's serving continued to excel with 11 aces, and they kept competitive in the back row, totaling 77 digs, just shy of Castleton's 78. Though Cobleskill led in aces and contributed four blocks, Castleton held a slight advantage in attack efficiency at .178 and narrowly won the deciding set.

Cobleskill opened the first set in exciting fashion, with both teams trading leads before Cobleskill took a 23-23 tie and converted a Castleton error and a kill from Hinze to win 25-23. In the second set, Cobleskill used a 4-0 run, including a kill from Ashley Wright assisted by Kirschberg, to take a 14-7 lead. Castleton rallied to tie the set 19-19, and although Cobleskill had set points at 24-23, 25-24, and 26-25, Castleton responded with three unanswered points to win 28-26.

Cobleskill struggled to gain momentum in the third set, falling 25-15, but rallied in the fourth with a strong 7-0 run that gave them a commanding 17-8 lead. Haycock's two aces powered the stretch, and a late kill from Gasner sealed the 25-19 set win to force a decisive fifth set. In the final set, Castleton surged ahead 5-1, prompting a Cobleskill timeout. Cobleskill fought back, narrowing the score to 7-8 after an ace from Ward, but Castleton's offense ultimately prevailed, taking the set 15-11.

Cobleskill will await their seed in the North Atlantic Conference West Division Tournament next weekend, where they hope to build on their competitive performances.