ONEONTA, N.Y. - The Hawks held their home opener tri-match this True Blue Weekend, sweeping SUNY Cobleskill in three sets while dropping a match to Clarkson University in five sets despite intense effort. 

THE BASICS

• Final Score: SUNY Cobleskill 0 Hartwick 3

• Location: Oneonta N.Y. | Lambros Arena

• Records: SUNY Cobleskill (1-7, 0-0 NAC) Hartwick (6-8, 0-0 Empire 8) 

BY THE NUMBERS (vs SUNY Cobleskill)

• Isabella Gracias (Oneonta, N.Y.) led the offensive drive with 8 kills out of the Hawks' total of 35. With stats evenly distributed across the court, three other Hawks would pick up 6 kills each.

• Braelyn Hornick (Candor, N.Y.) was all over the court, utilizing her speed and knowledge of the court to pick up 18 assists, while Shelby Swartz (Candor, N.Y.) led the defense with 9 digs.

• On service, the Hawks would bury 11 aces, outpacing the Fighting Tigers' 7.

HOW IT HAPPENED (vs SUNY Cobleskill)

The Hawks– having just come off a major Battle of the Hills win last week over SUNY Oneonta– looked to defend their home court in their home opener tri-match on True Blue Weekend. With the Hawks showing incredible momentum on offense, they would overtake the Cobleskill Fighting Tigers in three straight sets.

Swartz would put the first point on the board for the Hawks, with a kill that set the tone early. The Cobleskill Fighting Tigers struggled to keep up as the Hawks secured the next four points, with Hornick a powerhouse on the serve. Several errors and some opportune moments for the Fighting Tigers got a few points on the board, but the Hawks soon drove a dramatic 19-10 lead. Hornick again on the serve was deadly, snagging back-to-back-to-back service aces, while her teammates continued their offensive crusade. It would be Samantha Garback (Tully, N.Y.) to conclude the first set with a kill, the score sitting at 25-11. 

The momentum would continue for 'Wick in the second set as they capitalized off of several Cobleskill attacking errors to stretch their lead. Despite a push from the Fighting Tigers towards the end of the second, the strength of the Hawks overtook them once more with a score of 25-18 to emd the second.

Cobleskill managed to pull an 8-7 lead in the third, playing the strongest they had all morning, but the Hawks wouldn't take it lying down; Lucille Walker (Ithaca, N.Y.) would bring new life to the Hawks with a kill assisted from Ellie Kalbach (Spring City, Pa.). From there, the Hawks maintained a steady lead until the end, with Walker delivering the final kill to sweep Cobleskill at home 3-0.

BY THE NUMBERS (vs Clarkson)

• Swartz and Walker would lead the offensive, each with 12 kills in the match.

• On the defensive end, the Hawks totaled 90 digs, with sophomore Malia Dake (South Glens Falls, N.Y.) leading with 23. Not far behind her was Sophia Palladino (Owego, N.Y.), who totaled 20 to bring her career total digs to 189.

• The Golden Knights were powerful on the defense, reading where the Hawks aimed to put the ball and out-blocking them 15-9.

HOW IT HAPPENED (vs Clarkson)

The two teams were evenly matched throughout the entirety of the first set, trading points and exchanging the lead until a well-timed kill and attack error brought the Golden Knights a mere point away from securing the first set. However, an attack error following a stellar block by Swartz and Garback would give Hartwick the edge it needed. Hornick would send home a heater of an ace to give the Hawks the first set 26-24.

The back-and-forth only continued in the second set, though the pace picked up for Clarkson in the third, as consecutive kills and attack errors on the Hawks gave them a decisive 25-10 victory.

The score was within one point nearly the entirety of the fourth set, until Palladino sparked the Hawks' offense with two more kills. Consecutive attack errors would give the Hawks the victory they needed and consequently forced a fifth set.

Despite fighting hard and even leading in the fifth, Clarkson utilized timeouts to recompose themselves and force the ball over the net time and time again, taking the fifth set to end the long day.

UP NEXT FOR THE HAWKS

The Hawks hit the road for more non-conference play in a match up against SUNY Morrisville on Friday, September 26th, with the first serve slated for 6 PM.

About Hartwick College:

Hartwick, often referred to as The Life Balance College, is a private liberal arts and sciences institution in Oneonta, N.Y. Through its distinctive FlightPath approach, Hartwick blends academic excellence, career preparation and an active campus life to help students achieve a balanced and fulfilling college experience. With transparent tuition and a focus on health and wellness, Hartwick prepares students for lifelong success—both professionally and personally.