Troy, NY: The SUNY Cobleskill women's volleyball team hit the road Wednesday night for a non-conference matchup against Russell Sage, where the Fighting Tigers battled through extended rallies and several late-set pushes but ultimately came up short, dropping the match 3-0 to the Gators.

Kathleen Smart (Nashville, Tenn.) paced the Fighting Tigers with six kills and seven digs, while Baylee Kirschberg (Lindenhurst, NY) ran the offense with 13 assists and added six digs. Emma Hinze (Altenburg, Mo.) turned in an efficient performance with six kills on a .500 hitting percentage to go with four digs and an ace. Audrey Davis (Hudson Falls, NY) chipped in four kills to round out the attack.

Cobleskill's defense kept them in long rallies, finishing with a 36-34 edge in digs, but the Gators controlled the net with advantages in kills (31-19), assists (30-19), and aces (11-5).

The opening set saw Sage jump out to a 9-2 lead before Cobleskill steadied, pulling within 11-6 after a Hinze kill off a Kirschberg set. The momentum didn't last, however, as the Gators used a 10-1 closing run to secure a 25-10 win.

In set two, Cobleskill responded with stronger play at the net. After falling behind 14-6, the Tigers used a 6-1 run highlighted by kills from Smart and Hinze and a Kirschberg ace to close the gap to 19-18. Despite the rally, Sage strung together a late surge to take the set 25-18.

The third set followed a similar script. The Gators opened up a 10-3 lead, but the Tigers battled back behind a 3-0 run capped by a Smart kill to make it 17-14. Cobleskill later pulled within 21-18 after another Smart kill, but Sage held on for the 25-21 win to close out the match.

Up Next:
The Tigers continue their road swing on Saturday at Hartwick College, where they face the Hawks at 11:00 a.m. followed by Clarkson University at 1:30 p.m. in tri-match play.