Schenectady, NY – The SUNY Cobleskill women's volleyball team opened the Union/Russell Sage Crosstown Challenge on Friday night with a 3-0 setback (9-25, 19-25, 14-25) to Union College inside the Viniar Athletic Center.
Senior
Emma Hinze (Altenburg, Mo.) paced the Fighting Tigers' attack with seven kills while hitting .250. She also added seven digs, one service ace and one block.
Ciarra Jager (Stephentown, NY) turned in an efficient performance at the net, finishing with four kills, three blocks and a team-best .444 hitting percentage.
Hallie Gasner (Middleburgh, NY) added five kills and nine digs.
Setter
Baylee Kirschberg (Lindenhurst, NY) directed the offense with 13 assists while adding three kills and seven digs. Libero
Jojo Haycock (Bowie, MD) chipped in seven digs and three assists.
Cobleskill finished with 24 kills and a .149 hitting percentage, while Union recorded 49 kills and hit .371. The Tigers won the battle at the net with a 4-1 advantage in blocks, but Union held the edge in assists, 47-20, and digs, 51-35.
Cobleskill came out strong in the opening set, jumping ahead 4-2 behind a kill from Gasner and an ace from Hinze. Union quickly responded with a 5-0 run and later rattled off nine straight points to build a 16-5 advantage. Hinze ended the run with a kill, but Union maintained control and closed out the set, 25-9.
Union carried that momentum into the second set and opened an 8-3 lead. The Tigers settled in offensively behind kills from Gasner, Hinze and Jager to cut the deficit to 12-9. Hinze continued to provide a spark, scoring the Tigers' next five points as Cobleskill stayed within striking distance at 20-16. A Gasner kill off a Kirschberg assist later made it 22-18, but Union held on to take the frame, 25-19.
Cobleskill trailed 7-3 early in the third set before a
Kathleen Smart service ace helped pull the Tigers within two at 7-5. Union used several short runs to create separation and build a 17-8 lead, but kills from
Audrey Davis (Hudson Falls, NY) and Kirschberg kept Cobleskill battling. The Tigers were unable to close the gap down the stretch as Union took the set, 25-14, to complete the sweep.
Up Next:
The Fighting Tigers return to action on Saturday as the Crosstown Challenge continues at Russell Sage. Cobleskill will face Hartwick College at 1 p.m. before taking on Russell Sage at 3 p.m.
