Castleton, VT – The SUNY Cobleskill women's volleyball team was unable to overcome a slow start on Wednesday night, falling 3-0 (18-25, 7-25, 14-25) to VTSU-Castleton inside Glenbrook Gymnasium.
Audrey Davis (Hudson Falls, NY) led the Fighting Tigers' attack with six kills while adding four digs.
Hallie Gasner (Middleburgh, NY) turned in an efficient performance, finishing with five kills, two digs and a block while hitting a team-best .250.
Kathleen Smart (Nashville, TN) contributed across the floor with 11 digs, four kills and two service aces. Setter
Baylee Kirschberg (Lindenhurst, NY) directed the offense with a team-high 15 assists to go along with eight digs, while libero
Jojo Haycock (Bowie, Md.) collected 10 digs.
Cobleskill finished with 17 kills and a -.038 hitting percentage, while Castleton recorded 42 kills and hit .309. The Spartans also held a 32-15 advantage in assists and a 63-44 edge in digs. Both teams finished with four service aces.
The Tigers came out strong in the opening set, jumping ahead 5-2 behind a Smart ace and kill. Cobleskill stretched the lead to 8-4 after kills from Davis and Kirschberg before Castleton answered with a four-point run to tie the set at 8-8. The frame stayed tight through the middle stages, with four ties, before Gasner put the Tigers ahead 17-16 with a kill. From there, the Spartans rattled off seven straight points to take control and close out the set, 25-18.
Castleton carried that momentum into the second set, building an early 12-2 lead before Davis stopped the run with a kill. Another Davis finish later made it 16-5, but the Spartans kept their attack rolling and scored the final five points of the frame to take the set, 25-7.
Cobleskill once again started fast in the third, taking a 3-0 lead behind a Smart ace and a Gasner kill off a Kirschberg assist. Davis added a kill to keep the Tigers in front early, but Castleton answered with six straight points to move ahead 8-4. Smart stopped the run with a kill, but the Spartans responded with another seven-point stretch to create separation at 15-6. Cobleskill continued to battle, but Castleton held on to take the set, 25-14, and complete the sweep.
Up Next:
The Fighting Tigers return home on Tuesday, October 6, when they host Bard College for a 6 p.m. match inside Iorio Gymnasium.
