Castine, ME – The SUNY Cobleskill women's volleyball team pulled off a stunning comeback on Saturday afternoon, rallying from two sets down to defeat Thomas College 3-2 (19-25, 18-25, 25-21, 25-21, 15-11) in the North Atlantic Conference (NAC) Quarterfinals hosted by Maine Maritime Academy.

Trailing 0-2, the Fighting Tigers found another gear and stormed back behind a balanced attack from Kathleen Smart (Nashville, Tenn.), Emma Hinze (Altenburg, Mo), and Hallie Gasner (Middleburgh, N.Y.). Smart led the charge with a double-double, posting 14 kills and a team-high 16 digs. Hinze followed with 13 kills, 13 digs, two blocks, and an ace, while Gasner added 10 kills and was a force at the net all afternoon.

Baylee Kirschberg (Lindenhurst, N.Y.) directed the offense with 23 assists and 15 digs, while Jade Ward (Miami, Fla.) added 21 assists. Defensively, Jojo Haycock (Bowie, Md.) anchored the back row with 15 digs, helping the Tigers hold firm down the stretch.

As a team, Cobleskill held a commanding edge in kills (61-43) and assists (58-40), while Thomas countered with strong net defense, totaling 14 blocks to Cobleskill's six. The Tigers also outdug the Terriers 74-68, and both sides finished with six aces.

After dropping the first two sets 25-19 and 25-18, Cobleskill found its rhythm midway through the third. Tied 16-16, the Tigers capitalized on Terrier miscues and a late Smart kill to pull ahead for a 25-21 win, swinging the momentum in their favor.

Cobleskill kept the energy rolling into the fourth set, jumping out to a 9-3 lead. Thomas clawed back to tie things at 17-all, but the Tigers refused to let go of their momentum. An ace from Kirschberg and a timely run put Cobleskill up 21-17 before Gasner closed the door with a kill to take the set 25-21 and force a decisive fifth.

In the winner-take-all set, both teams traded points early before Cobleskill broke free with a 4-0 burst to lead 13-9. With the match on the line, Smart delivered back-to-back kills to seal the comeback and send the Tigers into the NAC Semifinals in dramatic fashion.

Up Next:
The Fighting Tigers advance to the NAC Semifinals on Sunday, November 9, where they will face top-seeded Maine Maritime Academy at 1:00 p.m. in Castine, Maine.