Utica, NY: The SUNY Cobleskill women's volleyball team fell to Utica University 3-1 on the road on Tuesday night in a non-conference affair.

Second-year Kathleen Smart (Nashville, Tenn./Pope John Paul II Prep) was a bright spot for the Fighting Tigers, finishing with 16 kills and 13 digs. Baylee Kirschberg (Lindenhurst, NY) orchestrated the offense dishing out 27 assists as well as 3 aces. Outside hitter Emma Hinze (Altenburg, Mo./Saxony Lutheran) contributed seven kills with a .250 hitting percentage, and Ciarra Jager (Stephentown, NY/New Lebanon) finished the match with five kills and a .308 hitting percentage. Defensively, Jojo Haycock (Bowie, Md) anchored the back row with 10 digs and Jager recorded two solo blocks.

In the first set, Utica jumped out to a 14-9 lead and extended it to 23-16 before winning the set 25-17. Cobleskill turned up the pressure in the second set, leading 5-1 early after a spike from Emma Hinze, assisted by Smart. However, Utica responded with a 5-0 run to take a 7-6 lead and extended it to 17-13. Cobleskill fought back with a 6-0 run to take a 21-20 lead but ultimately fell 25-23.

Cobleskill took the third set 26-24, rallying from an 18-11 deficit by outscoring the Pioneers 13-3 to claim a 24-22 lead. In the fourth set, Utica's efficient hitting, with a .423 attack percentage, proved decisive as they closed out the match.

The Fighting Tigers return to action this Friday, September 27^th, as they travel to North Adams, MA to take on MCLA in a non-conference battle starting at 6:00 p.m.

Team Stats:
-       Kills - Cobleskill (37), Utica (49)
-       Assists - Cobleskill (34), Utica (45)
-       Digs – Cobleskill (58), Utica (65)
-       Hitting Percentage – Cobleskill (.080), Utica (.220)

Team Leaders:
-       Kills – Smart (16), Hinze (7), Jager (5)
-       Digs – Smart (13), Haycock (10), Tori Harrington (9)
-       Assists – Kirschberg (27), Jade Ward (4), Haycock (1)
-       Aces – Kirschberg (3), Ward (1), Harrington (1)