Volleyball Sweeps Past SUNY Cobleskill

COBLESKILL, N.Y. — The MCLA Volleyball team returned to the court this afternoon with a road trip to Iorio Gymnasium on the campus of SUNY Cobleskill for a non-conference matchup with the Fighting Tigers. Elizabeth Brown had 15 kills and Shannon O'Brien finished with 22 assists to power the Trailblazers to a straight set victory.

THE BASICS:

• Date: Wednesday, September 3, 2025

• Score: MCLA 3, Cobleskill 0
• Records: MCLA Trailblazers 3-2 (MASCAC 0-0) | SUNY Cobleskill Fighting Tigers 0-1 (NAC 0-0)
• Series History: MCLA leads the all-time series 16-7, including a 3-0 win last season when the teams met in North Adams on September 27. MCLA also came away with the win when the teams met for the first time ever on October 28, 1976, by a score of 2-1, also in North Adams.

HIGHLIGHTS

• The teams traded blows in the first set, with Cobleskill holding a small edge until MCLA had a five point run that bookended with kills by senior outside hitter Elizabeth Brown (Lee, MA) to turn a Tigers 12-9 advantage into a Trailblazers 15-12 lead.
• A service ace by Cobleskill's Jade Ward would get the hosts as close as two points at 24-22 before senior setter Shannon O'Brien (Unionville, CT) capped the set with the final kill.
• The second set was a repeat of the first with the teams trading blows in a set that included 12 ties and five lead changes before MCLA closed the set out at 28-26.
• Junior middle hitter Caroline Schmaling (Halifax, MA) recorded five of her eight kills in the second set, while Brown and junior middle hitter Makenna Carter (Averill Park, NY) each notched four.
• While the first two sets were nip and tuck, the third set was all MCLA. Starting with a kill from first-year outside hitter Kaelynn Greeley (Corona, CA) and capped by service ace from first-year outside hitter Tristin Hedges (Monmouth, OR), the Trailblazers waltzed to a 25-14 close out.
• The third set was highlighted by a six point run that started with a kill from Greeley to go up 11-7, and included three service aces by sophomore defensive specialist Sasha Fyfe (Dalton, MA) to push the lead to 17-7.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Brown finished the showing with a game-high 15 kills, and shared the game lead with junior libero Beth Harris with 11 digs apiece.
• O'Brien had a game-high 22 assists while Carter and senior outside hitter Audrey Melson (Champlin Park, MN) each posted a solo block and combined on another.
• The Fighting Tigers were led by nine kills each for Kathleen Smart and Emma Hinze. Smart also wrapped the evening with a pair of service aces.

UP NEXT:

On Saturday, MCLA will be back in action when they play host to Elmira College for a non-conference matchup with the Soaring Eagles at the Amsler Campus Center Gym. The match is scheduled for a 1 p.m. start.

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