Cobleskill, NY – The SUNY Cobleskill women's volleyball team went the distance with SUNY Potsdam on Saturday afternoon, falling in five sets 3-2 (25-22. 22-25, 24-26, 25-17, 7-15) in a tightly contested SUNYAC Dig Pink match inside Iorio Gymnasium.
Senior setter
Baylee Kirschberg (Lindenhurst, NY) turned in a career performance for the Fighting Tigers, dishing out a career-high 40 assists while adding nine digs, five kills and a service ace. Kirschberg also hit .158 while directing a Cobleskill attack that finished with 51 kills. Senior
Hallie Gasner (Middleburgh, NY) posted a season-high 14 kills while hitting .135.
Emma Hinze (Altenburg, Mo) added a strong all-around effort with 16 digs, 11 kills and a season-high five service aces while posting a .188 hitting percentage.
Senior
Kathleen Smart (Nashville, TN) contributed 12 kills and six digs, while libero
Tori Harrington (Esperance, NY) anchored the back row with a season-high 15 digs.
Ashley Wright (Glenfield, NY) added six kills to tie her season high and recorded a solo block at the net.
The two conference opponents were closely matched throughout the afternoon. Cobleskill held a 51-40 advantage in kills and a 48-36 edge in assists, while Potsdam finished with a 66-57 advantage in digs and a 9-8 edge in service aces. The Bears made their biggest impact at the net, finishing with a 13-1 advantage in blocks. Cobleskill also battled 21 service errors, which proved costly in a match decided over five sets. The Tigers finished with a .104 hitting percentage, while Potsdam hit .108.
Potsdam grabbed an early 4-2 lead in the opening set before Cobleskill answered with four straight points behind Gasner's attack. The Bears later created separation with a 7-1 run to take a 16-10 advantage and eventually stretched the lead to 20-14. Cobleskill refused to let the opening frame get away. A Smart kill helped spark a four-point run that cut the deficit to 20-18. Trailing 22-19 late, the Tigers took over at the service line and closed the set with six unanswered points. Gasner delivered two kills during the run, while Smart and
Kaleigh Capasso (Ballston Spa, NY) also put balls away as Cobleskill completed the comeback, 25-22.
The Tigers carried that momentum into the second set and opened with a 3-0 lead. Cobleskill remained in front at 15-13 following a Gasner kill, but Potsdam steadily worked its way back and moved ahead 21-20. The Bears found the stronger finish, pushing the advantage to 23-20 before evening the match with a 25-22 set victory.
Cobleskill again came out aggressively in the third as back-to-back Hinze aces gave the Tigers a 6-3 lead. A powerful Hinze kill later extended the advantage to 11-7, and Gasner kept Cobleskill in front with a finish that made it 14-11. Potsdam answered with five straight points to move ahead 16-14 before the teams traded momentum down the stretch. Three consecutive kills from Hinze pushed Cobleskill back in front, 21-19, and Gasner later tied the frame at 24-24. The Bears, however, claimed the next two points to steal the set, 26-24, and take a 2-1 match lead.
The Tigers responded in the fourth. A 4-0 run gave Cobleskill an early 7-4 advantage before Potsdam worked its way back in front at 15-14. The Tigers answered with a 4-1 burst, capped by a Wright kill, to regain an 18-16 lead. Cobleskill took complete control from there, scoring the final seven points of the frame to close out a 25-17 victory and force a deciding fifth set. Kirschberg added an ace during the closing run as the Tigers carried momentum into the finale.
Potsdam jumped out quickly in the fifth, building a 5-1 lead before extending the advantage to 10-3. Cobleskill looked for one final rally, but the Bears maintained control and closed out the deciding set, 15-7, to secure the match.
Up Next:
The Fighting Tigers return to SUNYAC action on Friday, October 23, when they welcome Alfred State to Iorio Gymnasium for a 5 p.m. matchup.
