Volleyball Drops Four-Setter to Lincoln Memorial on Saturday

HARTSVILLE, S.C. - The Coker University volleyball team dropped its South Atlantic Conference match to visiting Lincoln Memorial by a score of 3-1 on Saturday (Sept. 28). 

Coker opened the match by taking the first set 25-13. After playing to an early 3-3 tie, Coker went on an 11-3 run to take a 14-6 lead and force a Lincoln Memorial timeout. The run began with a service ace from Maddie Gardner, before Taylor du Bray picked up a kill to put the Cobras ahead 5-3. Lincoln Memorial would get one point back, before Coker rattled off three straight with a kill from Emily Everton, another ace from Gardner and then a second kill from Everton. Coker would counter a Lincoln Memorial point with another three consecutive points, coming off of kills from Olivia Cerick and Chelsey Blume. Lincoln Memorial would get back within six, before Coker went on a run of five in a row to expand the lead to 19-8. From there, Coker won six out of the last eleven points to take the opening set. 

LMU would knot the match up with a 26-24 win in the second set. After playing to another 3-3 tie, Coker opened up leads of 11-7 and then 14-8 in the set. LMU would rattle off a run of its own to eventually tie the set at 15-all, before Coker would yet again take the lead with a run to go up 20-17. LMU would respond to force bonus action in the set, before finishing off the set and tying the match. 

LMU would win the third set with more bonus volleyball by a score of 27-25. The Railsplitters jumped out to leads of 7-4, 11-6 and 15-9 before Coker would battle back to get back within three at 15-12. From there, LMU would extend its lead to 17-12 and then to 20-14. Coker would rattle off five straight to knot the set at 20-20. Kills from Everton and du Bray, along with an ace from Ashley Carson and two LMU errors helped to tie the set. The teams battled from there to 24-24 and then 25-25, before back-to-back kills from Yileen Ng He finished off the set. 

LMU would finish off the match in the fourth set with a 25-17 victory. Coker jumped out to a 3-0 lead, before LMU stormed back for a 6-3 lead in the set. LMU kept the Cobras at a distance for the remainder of the set on its way to the victory.

Coker hit .148 on the afternoon, registering 42 total kills. Everton paced the Cobras with 12 kills on the afternoon, while du Bray finished the day with 10. The Cobras also had kills from Cerick (six), Blume (five), Sierra Harvey (four), Rami Mullen (two), Carson Fuller (two) and Carson (one). Carson paced the Cobras with 20 assists, while Mullen added 12. The Cobras also had contributions in the assist category from Camryn Tate (four), Blume (one) and Cerick (one). Tate led the Cobras with 13 digs on the day, while Everton also posted 12 for a double-double. Coker also had digs from Carson (nine), Cerick (six), Mullen (five), Harvey (two), du Bray (two) and Fuller (two), Alexis Kopicki (one), Blume (one), Gardner (one) and Annie Mansfield (one). Blume posted three solo blocks in the match, while Harvey and du Bray also contributed solo blocks on the day. Blume also posted a career-high six block assists, while du Bray added five. Coker also got three block assists from Harvey and two each from Kopicki, Everton and Fuller.  

The Cobras are back in action at the DeLoach Center on Tuesday (Oct. 1) to face UNC Pembroke in non-conference action. First serve is set for 7:00 p.m.

McDonald's Player of the Game - Emily Everton