HARTSVILLE, S.C. - The Coker University volleyball team fell in four sets to visiting Lenoir-Rhyne on Friday (Oct. 4) in South Atlantic Conference action by a score of 3-1.
The Cobras would take the opening set by a score of 25-18 to go ahead 1-0. The two teams battled to an early 4-4 tie, before Coker would rattle off four straight points with kills from Emily Everton and Sierra Harvey along with two Lenoir-Rhyne errors to go ahead 8-4. The two teams would go back and forth before L-R got within one at 12-11, and the battle would continue from there. The teams traded the next several points which left Coker ahead 21-18, before a kill from Taylor du Bray, two L-R errors and an ace from Ashley Carson ended the set.
Lenoir-Rhyne took the second set 25-21 to tie the match at one. The teams played to ties of 6-6 and 10-10, before L-R would take a 13-11 lead in the set and force a Coker timeout. The two teams would battle from there, before the Bears would extend their lead to 19-15 and force a second Coker timeout. Lenoir-Rhyne would win six of the final 11 points to take the set.
The Bears would take a 2-1 lead in the match with a 25-15 victory in the third set. The teams battled to a 9-9 tie, before L-R would go on a 10-4 run to extend its lead to 19-13. L-R would take six out of the final seven points en route to the set win.
The Bears would clinch the match with a 25-18 victory in set four. L-R would jump out to a 6-2 lead in the set, before extending its lead to 12-6 and forcing a Coker timeout. The Bears would win six out of the next 11 points to stretch its lead to 18-11 and get Coker to spend another timeout. Each team would win seven more points in the match, with L-R eventually taking the set.
Coker hit .125 in the match and totaled 45 kills as a team. Everton led the Cobras with 11 kills, while du Bray also posted 10 kills on the night. Coker also got contributions from Chelsey Blume (eight), Olivia Cerick (five), Harvey (five), Rami Mullen (two), Alexis Kopicki (one), Carson Fuller (one), Carson (one) and Payton Jackson (one). Carson led the team with 21 assists, while Mullen also added 16 and Cerick and Camryn Tate each chipped in one. Tate was the lone Cobra with double-digit digs with 14, while Everton posted eight. Cerick added six digs, while Mullen also recorded five and Carson registered four. Coker also had digs from du Bray (two), Kopicki (one), Blume (one), Harvey (one) and Maddie Gardner. Blume and Everton each posted one solo block on the night, while Blume also registered a team-high four block assists. Everton, Harvey, du Bray and Fuller also each posted two block assists on the night.
Coker is back in action tomorrow afternoon (Oct. 5) when the Cobras host Mars Hill at the DeLoach Center. First serve is set for 2:00 p.m.
McDonald's Player of the Game – Emily Everton