Canton, NY – The SUNY Cobleskill women's volleyball team went the distance in its SUNYAC opener on Friday night, falling 3-2 (17-25, 25-21, 23-25, 25-21, 10-15) to SUNY Canton at Stan Cohen Court.
Senior duo
Emma Hinze (Altenburg, Mo) and
Hallie Gasner (Middleburgh, NY) led the Fighting Tigers' attack with 13 kills apiece. Hinze added 11 digs and two block assists while hitting .158, while Gasner finished with eight digs and a .139 hitting percentage.
Kathleen Smart (Nashville, TN) turned in a strong all-around performance with 16 digs, nine kills and six block assists. Senior setter
Baylee Kirschberg (Lindenhurst, NY) directed the offense with 30 assists while adding seven digs and five kills.
Libero
Jojo Haycock (Bowie, MD) anchored the back row with a season-high 21 digs and added seven assists.
Kaleigh Capasso (Ballston Spa, NY) and
Ashley Wright (Glenfield, NY) also made an impact at the net, with Capasso recording five block assists and two kills while Wright finished with four block assists and five kills.
The match was closely contested statistically. Canton held a 53-48 advantage in kills, a 52-42 edge in assists and a 77-72 advantage in digs. The Roos also finished with a slight 8-7 edge in service aces and hit .150 compared to Cobleskill's .104. The Tigers made their biggest impact at the net, totaling 18 block assists and five solo blocks.
Canton jumped out to a 7-2 lead in the opening set before Cobleskill answered with back-to-back aces from
Tori Harrington (Esperance, NY) and a Kirschberg kill to cut the deficit to 9-7. The Roos responded with a 9-1 run to create separation, and although Hinze sparked a late push with consecutive kills, Canton held on for a 25-17 set win.
Cobleskill came out sharper in the second set, building a 9-3 lead behind five straight Canton errors. A Kirschberg kill later pushed the advantage to 15-9 before the Roos rallied to tie the frame at 16-16. Gasner answered with a kill and Harrington added an ace to put the Tigers back in front. After Canton tied it again at 20-20, Cobleskill closed strong with a late 4-0 run and took the set, 25-21.
Canton regained the early advantage in the third set, but Cobleskill stayed within reach. Trailing 16-11, Gasner sparked a 7-0 run that moved the Tigers ahead 18-16. The teams were tied at 20-20 late, but this time the Roos had the final push and closed out the frame, 25-23.
Cobleskill responded in the fourth set, overcoming an early Canton run and regaining control behind kills from Gasner and Wright. Back-to-back Roos errors helped the Tigers build a 17-12 advantage. Canton narrowed the gap to 18-16, but Cobleskill answered with a 6-0 run fueled by kills from Smart and Gasner to take command and force a deciding fifth set with a 25-21 win.
In the fifth, Canton held a 5-4 edge before using a 4-0 run to create a 9-4 lead. Cobleskill refused to go away, answering with four straight points highlighted by a Hinze kill to pull within one at 9-8. The Roos regained control down the stretch, however, and closed out the match with a 15-10 set victory.
Up Next:
The Fighting Tigers return home on Saturday, October 10, when they welcome Plattsburgh State to Iorio Gymnasium for their SUNYAC home opener at 1 p.m.
