Cobleskill, NY – The SUNY Cobleskill women's volleyball team went the distance with Russell Sage on Wednesday night, but the Fighting Tigers came up just short in a five-set thriller, falling 3-2 (10-25, 25-17, 25-18, 13-25, 15-17) inside Iorio Gymnasium.
Kathleen Smart (Nashville, TN) tied her career high with 16 kills while adding 23 digs, the second-highest total of her career, and a service ace. Smart finished the night hitting .213.
Emma Hinze (Altenuburg, Mo) was active all over the floor, recording a career-high 20 digs to go with five kills and four service aces.
Hallie Gasner (Middleburgh, NY) added seven kills, six digs, two aces and 1.5 blocks while hitting .179.
Setter
Baylee Kirschberg (Lindenhurst, NY) directed the offense with 29 assists, 10 digs and two kills.
Ciarra Jager (Stephentown, NY) made her presence felt at the net with 3.5 blocks and five kills, while sophomore
Kaleigh Capasso (Ballston Spa, NY) delivered a career-high five aces and added three kills while hitting .250.
The two teams were closely matched statistically. Russell Sage held a .151 to .109 advantage in hitting percentage and a slight 81-77 edge in digs, while Cobleskill controlled the net with a 6-0 advantage in blocks. The Tigers committed fewer attack errors, 22-25, while Sage finished with advantages in assists, 44-35, and service aces, 18-12.
Russell Sage came out firing in the opening set and built a 14-0 lead before Cobleskill settled in. Back-to-back aces from Hinze helped spark a 4-0 run, and Smart later added a kill, but the Tigers were unable to overcome the early deficit as the Gators took the first set, 25-10.
Cobleskill responded immediately in the second set, jumping ahead 5-1 behind kills from Smart and Hinze. Sage briefly grabbed an 8-7 lead, but the Tigers answered with five straight points, highlighted by three aces from Capasso. Cobleskill later rattled off a 7-0 run behind two Hinze aces to build a 22-12 advantage, and Kirschberg finished the frame with a kill to give the Tigers a 25-17 win.
The Tigers carried that momentum into the third set and again raced out to a 5-1 lead, this time behind a Gasner kill. Sage battled back to tie the score at 8-8, but Cobleskill answered with a 6-1 run sparked by Capasso's serving. After the Gators cut the deficit to 15-13, the Tigers pulled away with another 6-1 run, capped by a Capasso kill. Jager later put away the final point to give Cobleskill a 25-18 set win and a 2-1 lead in the match.
Cobleskill once again started quickly in the fourth set and built a 5-1 advantage after three straight Sage errors. A Hinze kill pushed the Tigers ahead 10-7, but the momentum shifted when the Gators rattled off 11 consecutive points to take an 18-10 lead. Cobleskill was unable to recover as Sage took the set, 25-13, to force a deciding fifth.
Russell Sage opened the fifth set with a 4-1 lead, but Smart answered with three kills to help Cobleskill move in front 6-4. Gasner added a kill and an ace to extend the lead to 9-5, and Smart continued to deliver as the Tigers took a 12-8 advantage. The Gators responded with five straight points to move ahead 13-12, but Cobleskill regained the lead at 15-14 after back-to-back Sage errors. Russell Sage had the final answer, however, scoring the last three points to take the set, 17-15, and close out the match.
Up Next:
The Fighting Tigers return to action on Saturday, September 26, when they travel to Farmingdale State College for a 2 p.m. non-conference match.
