CASTLETON, Vt. – The Vermont State University Castleton women's volleyball squad battled hard against SUNY Cobleskill on Thursday night, but came up short in a three-set match at Glenbrook Gym.
 
Cobleskill (3-6) claimed set victories of 26-24, 25-22 and 25-15 over VTSU Castleton (4-4). The Fighting Tigers had a 47-36 edge in kills and 5-1 edge in aces, but Castleton racked up a 47-38 advantage in digs and 5-4 lead in blocks on the night. Both teams ended the night with 15 attack errors, with Cobleskill hitting .283 and Castleton hitting .226 as a team.
 
Jocelyn Ray had a big night for the Spartans, amassing 14 kills and hitting .550. She also had an ace and four total blocks: three assists and one solo. Hailey Martinovich had eight kills and seven digs while Vanessa LeBrun added six kills and 11 digs in the contest. Maddie Delsignore had 30 assists.
 
For the Fighting Tigers, Alexis Miranda had 14 kills of her own to pair with three total blocks. Emma Hinze added nine kills and two aces while Kathleen Smart had eight kills. Lydia McDonough led the team with 11 digs.
 
The first set was a nail-biter, with the two teams trading blows back-and-forth. SUNY Cobleskill led 22-16 late in the set, but a 6-1 run by Castleton put the Spartans back in it at a one-point deficit, 23-22. A service error by the Spartans gave Cobleskill set point, but a kill by Ray and a Cobleskill error knotted the score at 24-24. After a Tiger timeout, the visitors rattled off back-to-back points to end the opening frame on top, 26-24.
 
The second set was much the same, with Castleton trailing 15-8 before working its way back into contention. Three straight Spartan kills led to a 15-11 score, and a later 6-1 run that included five Spartan kills brought the set to 18-17 in favor of the visitors. Cobleskill bounced back with two points to make it 20-17, and the teams traded points on the way out as the Tigers finished the second set ahead 25-22.
 
SUNY Cobleskill was in control for most of the final set, but Castleton battled hard to stay in the match. A 5-1 run for Castleton in the middle of the frame made it a 13-11 score, but Cobleskill never allowed Castleton to string together points from then on, pushing forward to a 25-15 victory in the third and final set.
 
Castleton returns to action on Saturday at Rhode Island College for the Little East Conference opener. Match time is slated for 11 a.m.