Albany, NY – The SUNY Cobleskill women's volleyball team wrapped up action at the Union/Russell Sage Crosstown Challenge on Saturday, falling 3-1 (16-25, 25-16, 16-25, 8-25) to Hartwick College before dropping a 3-0 decision (16-25, 22-25, 19-25) to host Russell Sage inside the Kahl Campus Center.
Match One: Cobleskill 1, Hartwick 3
Senior
Emma Hinze (Altenburg, Mo) led the Fighting Tigers' attack with six kills while hitting .250 and adding seven digs.
Kathleen Smart (Nashville, TN) provided a spark from the service line with four aces to go along with two kills, four digs and a block, while
Hallie Gasner (Middleburgh, NY) also served up four aces and added two kills and four digs.
Setter
Baylee Kirschberg (Lindenhurst, NY) finished with 14 assists, four digs and three kills, while
Ciarra Jager (Stephentown, NY) contributed four kills and a block at the net.
Hartwick held the advantage offensively with 41 kills and a .309 hitting percentage compared to Cobleskill's 19 kills. The Tigers stayed aggressive from the service line with 15 aces, while the Hawks recorded 19. Hartwick also held the edge in assists, 36-17, and digs, 41-31.
Kirschberg opened the first set with an ace, but Hartwick quickly responded with six straight points to build an early lead. Cobleskill chipped away with short runs and a
Kaleigh Capasso (Ballston Spa, NY) service ace brought the Tigers within five at 17-12, but the Hawks answered with a 5-0 run and pulled away to take the opening set, 25-16.
Cobleskill responded in the second set behind strong serving and timely offense. After trailing 7-6, the Tigers rattled off five straight points behind a Kirschberg kill and back-to-back aces from Gasner to take an 11-7 lead. Hartwick later tied the set at 14-14, but Cobleskill answered with six unanswered points, fueled by three aces from
Tori Harrington. A Hinze kill pushed the advantage to 23-15 before Gasner closed out the frame with an ace to give the Tigers a 25-16 set win.
The Tigers carried that momentum into the third set and jumped ahead 9-4 behind a six-point run that featured four straight aces from Smart. Hartwick responded with a 7-0 run to regain the lead at 14-11 and later created more separation with another six-point stretch. Gasner stopped the run with a kill, but the Hawks maintained control and took the set, 25-16.
Hartwick seized control early in the fourth set, opening with a 16-0 run. Cobleskill was unable to recover from the early deficit as the Hawks closed out the match with a 25-8 victory.
Match Two: Cobleskill 0, Russell Sage 3
Jager led Cobleskill in the nightcap with a season-high seven kills while hitting .385 and adding two blocks. Smart finished with five kills and eight digs, while Hinze added four kills, nine digs and a service ace. Kirschberg directed the offense with 16 assists, while Gasner and
Audrey Davis (Hudson Falls, NY) each chipped in three kills.
Russell Sage finished with a 37-23 advantage in kills and a 34-21 edge in assists. The teams were nearly even from the service line, with Sage recording five aces and Cobleskill four, while the Tigers held a 3-1 advantage in blocks.
The teams traded momentum early in the opening set, with a Gasner ace pulling Cobleskill within one at 9-8. Jager later kept the Tigers within striking distance at 12-11 with a kill, but Sage used a 6-1 run to create separation. Back-to-back kills from Smart cut into the deficit late, but the Gators held on to take the set, 25-16.
The second set remained tight throughout as a Jager kill evened the score at 9-9. Sage eventually moved ahead 16-12, but Cobleskill answered with a 7-1 run behind two Jager kills and three Gator errors to take a 19-17 lead. Sage responded with five straight points to regain control at 22-19. The Tigers pulled within one at 23-22, but the Gators closed out the set, 25-22.
Cobleskill fell behind 10-4 in the third before an ace from Hinze and a kill from Jager helped spark a rally. The Tigers eventually tied the set at 14-14 on a Davis kill and stayed within striking distance deep into the frame. With Cobleskill trailing 22-19, Sage finished with three straight points to take the set, 25-19, and complete the sweep.
Up Next:
The Fighting Tigers return to action on Wednesday, September 16, when they travel to Utica University for a 7 p.m. non-conference match.
