Cobleskill, NY - The SUNY Cobleskill women's volleyball team opened North Atlantic Conference play on Friday night with a hard-fought battle inside Iorio Gymnasium, falling in four close sets to Thomas College by scores of 25-23, 8-25, 26-28, and 23-25.

The Tigers had a balanced attack on the night, with Audrey Davis (Hudson Falls, NY) leading the way with 12 kills. Emma Hinze (Altenburg, Mo.) turned in a strong two-way performance with 11 kills and 14 digs, while Hallie Gasner (Middleburgh, NY) chipped in nine kills and three blocks. Setter Baylee Kirschberg (Lindenhurst, NY.) filled the stat sheet with 16 assists, 13 digs, six kills, and two aces, while fellow setter Jade Ward (Miami, Fla.) handed out a team-high 18 assists to go with eight digs. Libero Jojo Haycock (Bowie, Md.) anchored the back row with 21 digs, and Kaleigh Capasso (Ballston Spa, NY) added key points at the net.

Thomas finished with a slight edge in kills (43-42) and digs (84-80), while Cobleskill held the advantage in assists (39-38) and blocks (3-2). The Terriers also posted a 12-6 edge in service aces.

The Tigers came out swinging in the opening set, using a 5-0 run to build a 19-13 lead. Thomas rallied to tie it at 21, but Cobleskill closed strong behind clutch swings from Davis and Hinze. Davis delivered three straight points for the Tigers to five them a 24-23 lead then Hinze's kill sealed the set, 25-23, to give the Tigers the early advantage.

Thomas responded with a dominant second set, jumping out to a 9-3 lead and rolling to a 25-8 win behind a string of aces and quick runs that kept Cobleskill on its heels.

The third set was a back-and-forth thriller. Davis powered the Tigers back into the frame with consecutive kills to tie it at 13-13, while Gasner and Ward combined to push Cobleskill in front 19-16. Hinze came through late to give the Tigers a 23-22 lead, and Davis' swing held off set point to push it to 26-25. But Thomas answered with late serving pressure, closing on a 3-1 run to edge out the Tigers 28-26.

The final set was tight throughout, with Cobleskill holding a 10-5 advantage after a strong run fueled by Davis, Hinze and Gasner. Thomas rallied back to tie it at 15-15, then edged ahead 22-18. The Tigers refused to go quietly, pulling within one at 23-22 after a Davis kill, assisted by Kirschbergh, and then Kirschberg added an ace of her own. With the score tied at 23, the Terriers closed out the set 25-23 to secure the match.

Up Next
Cobleskill continues their NAC weekend on Saturday at 1 p.m. when they host Lesley University inside Iorio Gymnasium.