Cobleskill, NY – The SUNY Cobleskill women's volleyball team dropped a 3-0 decision (16-25, 24-26, 12-25) to Bard College in non-conference action on Tuesday night inside Iorio Gymnasium.
Senior
Hallie Gasner (Middleburgh, NY) paced the Fighting Tigers' attack with seven kills while hitting .167. She also added a service ace and four digs for a team-high eight points.
Kathleen Smart (Nashville, TN) turned in a balanced performance with five kills, six digs, one ace and one assist. Middle blocker Defensively,
Ashley Wright (Glenfield, NY) had an outstanding game as she made her presence felt at the net, recording a career-high three solo blocks and 3.5 total blocks.
Setter
Baylee Kirschberg (Lindenhurst, NY) directed the offense with a team-high 17 assists while adding three kills on a .333 hitting percentage and five digs. Libero
Jojo Haycock (Bowie, MD) led the back row with eight digs and chipped in an assist and service ace. Sophomore
Audrey Davis (Hudson Falls, NY) added five kills and a block assist.
The teams were even defensively with 31 digs apiece, while Cobleskill held a 4-2 advantage in total blocks. Bard finished with a 31-21 edge in kills and a 29-20 advantage in assists. The biggest difference came from the service line, where the Raptors recorded 16 aces compared to five for the Tigers. Bard hit .181 for the match, while Cobleskill finished at .041.
Cobleskill came out strong in the opening set, taking a 5-3 lead behind a Gasner kill and two Bard errors. Another Gasner finish kept the Tigers in front at 6-5, but the Raptors responded with a 6-1 run to take control. Two kills from Smart pulled Cobleskill within five at 18-13, but Bard maintained its advantage and closed out the set, 25-16.
The Tigers again started fast in the second set, jumping ahead 6-4 after a four-point run highlighted by two Davis kills and a
Kaleigh Capasso (Ballston Spa, NY) ace. From there, the set turned into a back-and-forth battle. Cobleskill later rattled off four straight points behind a Davis kill, Smart ace and a well-placed Kirschberg finish before a Wright block and Gasner ace helped push the lead to 21-18. The Tigers reached set point at 24-21, but Bard rallied with five unanswered points to steal the frame, 26-24.
Cobleskill carried another early lead into the third set, moving ahead 7-5 behind a Davis kill and several Bard errors. The momentum shifted quickly, however, as the Raptors used a 12-2 run to take a 17-9 lead. Wright delivered a strong block to try to spark the Tigers, but Bard stayed in control and closed out the match with a 25-12 set victory.
Up Next:
The Fighting Tigers return to action on Friday, October 9, when they open SUNYAC play on the road at SUNY Canton. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m.
