North Adams, MA: The SUNY Cobleskill women's volleyball team dropped a 3-0 decision to the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) in non-conference action Friday night, falling by scores of 9-25, 18-25, and 20-25.

Kathleen Smart (Nashville, Tenn./Pope John Paul II Prep) paced the Fighting Tigers with nine kills, five digs, and two service aces. Jade Ward (Miami, FL/Felix Varela) contributed a team-high eight assists, while Hallie Gasner (Middleburgh, NY) added five kills, three service aces, and five digs. On defense, Ciarra Jager (Stephentown, NY/New Labanon) stood out with two solo blocks.

Cobleskill struggled to gain momentum in the opening set, as MCLA jumped to an early 9-3 lead, using a 15-2 run to secure a 25-9 win. In the second set, the Tigers fought back after falling behind 5-0, eventually pulling within one at 5-6, but couldn't hold off MCLA's surge, falling 18-25.

The final set saw Cobleskill again start slow, trailing 4-0, but they narrowed the gap to 9-10 after a kill from Baylee Kirschberg (Lindenhurst, NY), assisted by Smart. Despite the effort, the Tigers couldn't keep pace, dropping the set 20-25.

Cobleskill will return to action tomorrow, September 28, with matches against Western New England at 11:00 a.m. and Worcester State at 1:00 p.m.