Cobleskill, N.Y. – The SUNY Cobleskill women's volleyball team delivered an impressive home performance Friday night, sweeping the University of Maine–Presque Isle in a North Atlantic Conference (NAC) action inside Iorio Gymnasium. The Fighting Tigers took the opener 3-1 (27-25, 25-23, 22-25, 25-8) before earning another 3-1 victory (25-23, 25-23, 23-25, 25-20) in the nightcap to secure their second conference win of the season.
Game One: Cobleskill 3, UMPI 1 (27-25, 25-23, 22-25, 25-8)
The Fighting Tigers opened the day strong, controlling much of the offensive tempo against the Owls.
Emma Hinze (Altenburg, Mo.) led the charge with a match-high 18 kills on an impressive .486 hitting percentage to go with 14 digs and two aces.
Hallie Gasner (Middleburgh, N.Y.) had one of her best outings of the season with 12 kills, five aces, and four digs, while setter
Jade Ward (Miami, Fla.) dished out a team-high 19 assists and added 12 digs.
Baylee Kirschberg (Lindenhurst, N.Y.) turned in a versatile effort with 12 assists, 14 digs, and four kills, and libero
Tori Harrington (Esperance, N.Y.) anchored the back row with 21 digs.
Kathleen Smart (Nashville, Tenn.) contributed six kills and seven digs in her return to action, while middle hitter
Ciarra Jager (Stephentown, N.Y.) made a strong comeback to the lineup with six kills and two block assists in her first appearance since early September.
Cobleskill held the upper hand statistically, recording 49 kills to UMPI's 29 and 44 assists to the Owls' 27. The Tigers' defense was sharp with 78 digs compared to UMPI's 63, while also finishing with a 14-13 edge in aces and a 6-1 advantage in blocks.
The opening set was a back-and-forth battle with multiple momentum swings. Cobleskill jumped out to a quick 4-1 lead before UMPI rallied to move ahead 11-8. After trading points midway through the frame, the Tigers pulled even at 14-14 behind a Hinze kill set up by Ward. Down 18-15, Cobleskill responded with a 5-0 run fueled by two Gasner aces and a Hinze kill to regain control. With the score tied at 24-24, Gasner slammed home a kill to give the Tigers the edge, then followed with a decisive ace to close out the 27-25 set win.
The second set mirrored the first, with Cobleskill maintaining steady pressure. After a pair of early kills from Hinze and Smart, the Tigers built a 13-9 advantage and later extended it to 19-12. UMPI made a late push to tie things at 21-21, but Cobleskill's composure showed down the stretch. A big swing from Hinze put the Tigers back on top, and Gasner delivered the final point to seal a 25-23 win and a 2-0 match lead.
The Owls came alive in the third set, jumping out to a 14-6 lead before Cobleskill stormed back with a 6-0 run behind two kills apiece from Hinze and Smart. The Tigers evened the score at 22-22, but UMPI held on to edge out a 25-22 win. The response from Cobleskill in the fourth was emphatic—after racing to a 10-2 lead, the Tigers dominated the frame with crisp passing and aggressive serving. Hinze and Gasner combined for seven kills in the set as Cobleskill cruised to a 25-8 victory to close out the match.
Game Two: Cobleskill 3, UMPI 1 (25-23, 25-23, 23-25, 25-20)
The nightcap brought more of the same from Cobleskill, who completed the sweep behind balanced play on both sides of the ball. Hinze once again led the way with 14 kills, 19 digs, and five aces, while Gasner followed with eight kills and steady net play. Kirschberg put together a strong all-around effort with seven kills, 12 assists, and a team-high 20 digs. Smart chipped in six kills, three aces, and 16 digs, while Ward quarterbacked the offense with 20 assists and 10 digs.
The Tigers posted 43 kills to UMPI's 33 and held the advantage in assists (40-28) and aces (14-7). Defensively, Cobleskill narrowly topped UMPI 71-68 in digs, showcasing their consistency in long rallies.
The first set was tightly contested throughout, as the Owls grabbed a 15-10 lead before Cobleskill rallied with a 10-0 run powered by three Harrington aces. Leading 24-23, the Tigers capitalized on a UMPI error to reach set point and sealed it with a Kirschberg kill for a 1-0 lead. In the second set, Cobleskill came out firing with a 7-1 start and extended the lead to 10-1, forcing an early timeout. The Owls trimmed the margin to 17-15, but Cobleskill's late surge, including a timely ace from Hinze, secured another 25-23 victory.
UMPI managed to take the third set 25-23 after surviving multiple Tiger rallies, but Cobleskill regrouped in the fourth. After trading points early for a 4-4 tie, the Tigers used a 6-2 run behind kills from Gasner and Kirschberg to go up 10-6. Smart added a kill and Hinze followed with an ace to extend the lead to 16-11. From there, Cobleskill maintained control, and Hinze delivered the final point to seal the 25-20 win and the doubleheader sweep.
Up Next:
The Fighting Tigers return to action next Friday, October 24, as they travel to Vermont State University–Johnson for a NAC weekend road trip.
*match note: the first game of the doubleheader is the only game that counted as a NAC contest.
