Cobleskill, NY – The SUNY Cobleskill women's volleyball team split their tri-match on Senior Day Wednesday evening, earning a 3-1 (25-23, 18-25, 25-16, 25-23) win over SUNY Morrisville before falling to VTSU-Castleton 3-0 (22-25, 19-25, 18-25) inside Iorio Gymnasium to close out the regular season.

Game One: Cobleskill 3, Morrisville 1
The Fighting Tigers opened the day on a strong note, taking down future SUNYAC opponent SUNY Morrisville in four sets.

Junior Kathleen Smart (Nashville, Tenn.) powered the offense with 14 digs, 12 kills, and two blocks while hitting .242. Emma Hinze (Altenburg, Mo.) continued her consistent play with 15 digs, 10 kills, and two blocks, while Hallie Gasner (Middleburgh, N.Y.) anchored the front line with nine kills and five blocks on a .259 hitting percentage. Baylee Kirschberg (Lindenhurst, N.Y.) and Jade Ward (Miami, Fla.) ran the offense effectively, tallying 18 and 17 assists respectively to keep the Cobleskill attack balanced. Jojo Haycock led the Tigers with 17 digs.

Statistically, both teams finished with 43 kills and seven blocks. Morrisville edged Cobleskill in service aces (9-6), while the Tigers held the advantage in digs (64-59).

In a back-and-forth opening set, the Tigers erased an early 8-4 deficit and later rallied from 23-22 down to take the frame 25-23 behind late kills from Ciarra Jager (Stephentown, N.Y.) and Hinze.
Morrisville evened the match in the second set, using a 5-0 run to close out a 25-18 win despite a late push from Smart and the Tigers.

Cobleskill came out firing in the third, opening with a 10-4 lead and extending it behind a 5-0 surge sparked by Jojo Haycock (Bowie, Md.), who recorded both an ace and a kill during the run. Dominant play at the net and clean passing led to a convincing 25-16 win and a 2-1 set lead.

The fourth set proved to be the most dramatic. Trailing 18-11, Cobleskill mounted a furious 10-2 rally highlighted by back-to-back aces from Haycock and multiple kills from Smart to grab a 21-20 edge. The Tigers then sealed the match with a 4-1 closing stretch, capped by a Kaleigh Capasso (Ballston Spa, N.Y.) kill for the 25-23 victory.

Game Two: Castleton 3, Cobleskill 0
In the nightcap, Cobleskill couldn't carry over the momentum from their opening win, falling in straight sets to VTSU-Castleton.

Smart once again led the way with 10 kills and nine digs, while Hinze added six kills and 10 digs. Jager chipped in six kills, and Gasner contributed three. Ward and Kirschberg each distributed 13 assists to pace the attack.

Castleton held narrow advantages in several statistical categories, finishing with 33 kills to Cobleskill's 31 while both teams tallied 29 assists and eight aces. The Spartans out-blocked the Tigers 5-0 and held a slim 42-40 edge in digs.

After a slow start in the first set that saw Castleton jump ahead 12-1, Cobleskill stormed back with a 9-1 run fueled by back-to-back Smart aces and kills from Capasso and Gasner. The Tigers closed within one at 23-22 following a 6-1 stretch before the Spartans held on for a 25-22 win.

The second set followed a similar script, with Cobleskill battling back from a 17-11 deficit to make it 20-19 behind a late push that included an ace from Ward and a kill by Audrey Davis (Hudson Falls, N.Y.). Castleton responded with a 5-0 run to take the set 25-19.

In the third, the Tigers briefly took the lead early on after a Kirschberg ace, but Castleton controlled the middle of the set and built a 16-11 advantage. With the score 23-14, Cobleskill attempted a late rally with a 5-1 run, but the Spartans closed out the set 25-18 to complete the sweep.

Up Next
The Fighting Tigers now turn their attention to postseason play, traveling to Maine Maritime Academy on Friday, November 8, for a North Atlantic Conference first-round matchup against Thomas College.