For the second straight outing, the Tompkins Cortland Community College volleyball team battled through a grueling five-set thriller. And for the second straight time, the Panthers came up just short, this time falling to Corning Community College on Wednesday. Tompkins Cortland is now 1-6 overall and 1-3 in the Mid-State Athletic Conference. Corning is 3-2 overall and 2-1 in the MSAC.

The Panthers won the first and third sets, ultimately losing the match by finals scores of 25-21, 19-25, 27-25, 18-25, 8-15. In the opener, Tompkins Cortland rallied from down 14-6, eventually moving ahead by a score of 22-20 following a string of six straight service points by Arianna Manwaring (Tioga/Tioga Central H.S.). After Corning snapped the run, the Panthers scored the final three points to close out the first set.

The second set was tight most of the way until Corning ran off four straight, changing a 16-16 tie to a controlling 20-16 lead, ultimately winning and tying the match at one set each. Things got even closer in the third set, with the teams tied eleven different times, including at 25-25. A big block by Madison Kelly (Moravia/Moravia H.S.) broke the late tie and propelled the Panthers to the win.

The fourth set didn't hold as much drama as the first three, with Corning jumping out to an early lead and not allowing the Panthers to get back into it. After the Red Barons went ahead 15-6, the Panthers couldn't get closer than within four points the rest of the way, setting the stage for the tie-breaking set.

Ashley Hoyte (Dryden/Dryden H.S.) started the fifth set out strong with a pair of solid serves and a 2-0 lead, but Corning broke the serve and started a five-point run to take the lead. One of the longest rallies of the night – one that featured spectacular diving digs by Hope Comfort (Cortland/Homer H.S.) and Cassi Seng (Dryden/Dryden H.S.) – ended with a thunderous kill by Comfort to make the score 5-3. But the great point couldn't generate any momentum for the Panthers as Corning went on a 6-1 run to settle into control. One last push got the Panthers within five points at 11-6, but it wasn't enough to keep Corning from taking the set and match. 

Comfort and Manwaring each had 7 kills, with Comfort adding 8 digs and Manwaring posting 4 blocks and 2 digs. Kelly finished with 6 digs, 5 kills, 4 aces, and 2 blocks and Adrianna Royce (Newfield/Newfield H.S.) handed out 14 assists while pulling out 4 digs. Hoyte led the team with 17 digs with Seng next with 12.

Looking ahead

The Panthers host Genesee Community College Saturday at noon.