Cobleskill, NY: The SUNY Cobleskill women's volleyball team battled throughout the night but came up short against the Pioneers of Utica University, falling 3-0 (22-25, 15-25, 19-25) on Tuesday evening in Iorio Gymnasium.

Leading the Tigers was junior outside hitter Emma Hinze (Altenburg, Mo.), who delivered another strong all-around performance with a team-high eight kills on .286 hitting, along with 12 digs, an assist, and a solo block. Junior setter Baylee Kirschberg (Lindenhurst, NY) continued her efficient play, contributing nine digs, seven kills, and six assists while hitting an impressive .438 with a block.

Junior libero Jojo Haycock (Bowie, Md.) anchored the back row with a team-high 13 digs, while outside hitter Hallie Gasner (Middleburgh, NY) added five kills, six digs, a service ace, and a block. Senior Jade Ward (Miami, Fla.) guided the offense with 11 assists and seven digs.

The Pioneers held the upper hand statistically, posting a 48-23 advantage in kills and a 45-21 edge in assists. Cobleskill tallied 54 digs compared to Utica's 58, with both teams finishing with three blocks. Utica also led in aces, 9-3, while hitting .211 to Cobleskill's .104.

In the opening set, Utica jumped out to a 5-1 lead before the Tigers clawed back to make it 7-5 following a Pioneer error. The Pioneers responded with a 5-0 run, but Cobleskill showed resilience late, using strong defensive play from Tori Harrington (Esperance, NY) to close the gap to 24-22 before Utica held on for a 25-22 win.

The second set opened with a powerful Kirschberg kill, but Utica gained early momentum, building an 8-3 lead. Hinze's kill sparked a Cobleskill push to make it 13-9, but another Utica run extended the deficit, and the Pioneers went on to take the set 25-15.

In the third set, Hinze once again provided energy early with a pair of kills and a block, bringing the Tigers within 13-13 after a crafty Kirschberg kill. Utica responded with a key 4-0 run to regain control. Late kills from Gasner and Kirschberg helped Cobleskill fight back to 24-18, but the Pioneers closed out the match 25-19.

Up Next:
The Fighting Tigers return to action on Saturday, October 11, when they travel to Husson University for a North Atlantic Conference matchup in Bangor, Maine. First serve is set for 1:00 p.m.