COBLESKILL, NY – Two years off, no problem. The Hartwick volleyball team traveled down the road to SUNY Cobleskill and swept the Tigers on Wednesday night, starting their season off on a winning note. The Hawks won the first set 25-21 and the final two by twin scores of 25-17.

The two teams found themselves tied at five in the first set before the Tigers took a 10-6 lead after a 5-1 run. The Hawks kept at it, eventually knotting the score at 18 and using a run of their own to end the set on a Kailee Muscarello (Sayville, NY/Sayville) ace.

After some back and forth early in the second set found the two sides tied at six-all, 'Wick went on a 7-1 run to take a fairly commanding 13-7 advantage. Although the Tigers got to within three at 18-15, Hartwick would not break and put their hosts on the brink with a 2-0 set lead.

The third set saw Hartwick twice take five-point leads (9-4 and 15-10) before Cobleskill fought back, eventually seeing 16-15 on the scoreboard. The Hawks activated their killer instinct from there, however, using four Toria Betelak (North Syracuse, NY/Liverpool) kills, two Muscarello aces, and two Staecia Silofau (Kapolei, HI/Maryknoll) kills to all but put the match away at 24-15. Three rallies later, Silofau officially killed the game with the assist to Kayley Ericson (Franklin, CT/Norwich Free Academy).

Betelak led all players with 14 kills, doing so on an efficient .400 hitting percentage; she also contributed elsewhere with four aces and a block. Ericson just missed a double-double putting up 28 assists and nine digs. Silofau's first collegiate match saw her put up eight kills, ten digs, an ace, and a block.

Hartwick will get back to it on Friday, September 3, when they travel to Morrisville to play the Mustangs at 4 p.m. and then Oswego at 8 p.m.

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