Utica, NY – The SUNY Cobleskill women's volleyball team battled throughout Wednesday night but came up short against Utica University, falling in straight sets (18-25, 23-25, 20-25) at the Clark Athletic Center during Utica's First Responders Match benefiting the Believe 271 Foundation.
The Fighting Tigers were led by the senior trio of
Emma Hinze(Altenburg, Mo.),
Hallie Gasner (Middleburgh, NY) and
Baylee Kirschberg (Lindenhurst, NY). Hinze paced the attack with a team-high nine kills while adding 11 digs. Gasner finished with eight kills and two block assists, while Kirschberg directed the offense with 26 assists to go along with 10 digs and two kills.
Kathleen Smart (Nashville, TN) and
Ciarra Jager (Stephentown, NY) each added five kills, with Smart also recording eight digs and Jager contributing a block assist. Libero
Jojo Haycock (Bowie, Md.) led the back row with a team-high 12 digs and added two service aces.
The match was close statistically, with both teams finishing with 29 assists. Utica held narrow advantages in kills, 34-32, service aces, 6-4, and total blocks, 5-4, while Cobleskill finished with a 55-50 edge in digs and eight block assists. The Pioneers hit .149 compared to the Tigers' .045, with attack errors proving to be a key difference as Cobleskill committed 27 to Utica's 17.
The opening set stayed tight early, with a Gasner kill off a Kirschberg assist tying the frame at 5-5. Utica later used a 5-1 run to create separation and build a 16-10 lead before Gasner stopped the run with another kill. Cobleskill answered with a 5-1 stretch of its own behind kills from Gasner and Jager, but the Pioneers held on to close out the set, 25-18.
Utica jumped ahead 7-3 in the second set, but Cobleskill responded with four straight points, highlighted by a kill and ace from Smart, to tie the score at 7-7. The Pioneers answered with another four-point run before the Tigers chipped away at the deficit. A kill from
Tori Harrington (Esperance, NY) and a Utica error tied the frame at 21-21, and kills from Kirschberg and Jager kept the set deadlocked at 23-23. Utica capitalized on two late Cobleskill errors, however, to take the set, 25-23.
The Tigers carried early momentum into the third set and grabbed a 5-4 lead after four straight Utica errors. Back-to-back kills from
Ashley Wright (Glenfield, NY) pushed the advantage to 7-5 before the Pioneers answered with six straight points. Cobleskill responded with a 6-0 run of its own, capped by consecutive Hinze kills, to regain the lead at 13-11. Utica quickly swung the momentum back with a 5-0 run and later stretched its advantage to 22-16. A Hinze kill, Smart kill and Haycock ace helped Cobleskill make one final push, but the Pioneers closed out the set, 25-20, to complete the sweep.
Up Next:
The Fighting Tigers return home on Wednesday, September 23, when they welcome Russell Sage to Iorio Gymnasium for a 7 p.m. match.
