Canton, N.Y. – The SUNY Cobleskill women's volleyball team opened play at the North Country Classic on Friday, falling in straight sets to host St. Lawrence University, 3-0 (18-25, 12-25, 13-25), before dropping a 3-0 decision (8-25, 19-25, 14-25) to SUNY Brockport in the nightcap.
Game One: St. Lawrence 3, Cobleskill 0
Second-year
Audrey Davis (Hudson Falls, NY) led the Fighting Tigers' attack with seven kills and two digs while hitting .294.
Ciarra Jager (Stephentown, NY) added six kills and a block, while
Emma Hinze (Altenburg, Mo) finished with five kills, five digs and a block. Senior setter
Baylee Kirschberg (Lindenhurst, NY) directed the offense with a team-high 15 assists to go along with seven digs.
Cobleskill finished with 22 kills compared to St. Lawrence's 39. The Saints held a 13-1 advantage in service aces and also led 35-20 in assists and 34-29 in digs, while both teams recorded two blocks.
St. Lawrence jumped out to an early 8-2 lead in the opening set before a kill from
Hallie Gasner (Middleburgh, NY) helped Cobleskill settle in. The Tigers pulled within 14-10 after back-to-back Saints errors, but St. Lawrence responded with a 5-1 run to regain control. Cobleskill continued to battle and cut the deficit to 20-15 before the Saints closed out the set, 25-18.
Cobleskill again found itself trailing early in the second set, but another Gasner kill helped spark the Tigers. A Hinze kill off a Kirschberg assist kept Cobleskill within striking distance at 16-10, but St. Lawrence finished the frame on a 9-2 run to take the set, 25-12.
The Tigers came out stronger in the third, using back-to-back kills from Davis and a kill from Hinze to take a 6-4 lead. St. Lawrence answered with seven straight points before Cobleskill responded with a 4-1 run, highlighted by kills from Kirschberg and Jager, to cut the deficit to 12-10. The Saints regained momentum from there and closed out the match with a 25-13 set victory.
Game Two: Brockport 3, Cobleskill 0
Jager continued her strong day at the net with seven kills, while Gasner added six kills, two blocks and two digs. Hinze chipped in three kills, three blocks and three digs.
Jojo Haycock (Bowie, Md) provided a spark from the service line with three aces, while Kirschberg dished out a match-high 18 assists.
Brockport held the advantage in several team categories, finishing with a 14-4 edge in service aces, a 31-19 advantage in assists and a 54-35 edge in digs. Cobleskill remained active at the net, finishing with three blocks.
The Golden Eagles raced out to a 14-0 lead in the opening set before Cobleskill began to find some rhythm late. Haycock delivered an ace and
Tori Harrington added a kill during a three-point run, but Brockport closed out the opening frame, 25-8.
Cobleskill responded with a stronger start in the second set, taking a 3-1 lead behind an ace from Haycock. Brockport eventually moved ahead 8-5, but the Tigers pulled within one at 8-7 after consecutive Golden Eagle errors. Brockport created separation midway through the frame, and despite a late push from Cobleskill, took the set, 25-19.
Brockport again built an early advantage in the third set, but Cobleskill answered with its best stretch of the match. The Tigers used an 8-2 run, highlighted by kills from Hinze, Gasner and Jager, to pull within 17-12. The Golden Eagles regained control down the stretch, however, and closed out the match with a 25-14 victory.
Up Next:
The Fighting Tigers continue their road trip on Saturday, September 5, at the Clarkson Tri-Match. Cobleskill will face Clarkson University at 11 a.m. before taking on Middlebury College at 1 p.m.
