Cobleskill, NY: The SUNY Cobleskill women's volleyball team came up just short in a hard-fought five-set thriller on Wednesday night, falling to SUNY Delhi 3-2 (25-16, 18-25, 25-19, 20-25, 15-17) inside Iorio Gymnasium.
 
Ciarra Jager (Stephentown, NY) turned in a career night at the net, finishing with a career-high eight blocks to go along with nine kills and a .227 hitting percentage. Hallie Gasner (Middleburgh, NY) led the Tiger attack with 11 kills, three aces, and three digs, while hitting .179. Emma Hinze (Altenburg, Mo.) contributed across the board with eight kills, 12 digs, three blocks, and three aces. On defense, Kathleen Smart (Nashville, Tenn.) and Jojo Haycock (Bowie, Md.) anchored the back row, recording 18 and 17 digs respectively, while Smart added five kills. The setting duo of Jade Ward (Miami, Fla.) and Baylee Kirschberg (Lindenhurst, NY) kept the offense balanced, combining for 29 assists—Ward with 15 and Kirschberg with 14.
 
Statistically, the match was as close as it gets. Delhi held a 49-28 edge in kills, but Cobleskill's serving and defense kept them in it, outpacing the Broncos in aces (16-9) and blocks (10-4), while narrowly winning the digs battle 69-66.
 
Cobleskill came out firing in the opening set, using an 8-0 run—highlighted by three straight aces from Kirschberg—to build a 13-4 lead. The Tigers kept the pressure on behind a 4-0 burst capped by two Jager kills to extend their advantage to 18-6, cruising to a 25-16 set win.
 
The second set swung Delhi's way early, as the Broncos jumped ahead 8-3. Cobleskill trimmed the deficit to four after a Gasner kill, but Delhi responded with a steady attack to secure the 25-18 victory and even the match.
 
The third set saw both teams trading momentum before Cobleskill broke through. Trailing 9-5, the Tigers used a 4-0 run fueled by Hinze's serving—two aces and a kill—to tie it up at 9-9. A dominant 10-1 surge later in the frame, featuring two aces from Tori Harrington (Esperance, NY), pushed Cobleskill ahead 19-13. A Jager kill closed out the set 25-19 as the Tigers regained control.
 
With Cobleskill looking to finish the match, Delhi fought back in the fourth set, opening with a 9-3 lead. The Tigers battled back and briefly took a 17-15 lead after four straight Bronco errors and strong defensive play, but Delhi answered late, finishing on a 10-3 run to win 25-20 and force a decisive fifth set.
 
The final set was a back-and-forth battle. Cobleskill jumped out to a 9-4 lead behind kills from Gasner and Kaleigh Capasso (Ballston Spa, NY) and extended it to 12-7 before Delhi rallied with five straight points to tie it at 12-all. The teams traded points down the stretch, but Delhi capitalized on two late Cobleskill errors to edge out a 17-15 win and take the match in a marathon five-set contest.
 
Up Next:
The Fighting Tigers return to Iorio Gymnasium on Friday, October 31, to host non-conference opponent St. Lawrence University at 7:00 p.m.