HARTSVILLE, S.C. - The Coker College men's volleyball team fell to the Alderson Broaddus Battlers 3-1 (25-18, 18-25, 20-25, 23-25) Saturday (Apr. 8) afternoon in the Independent Volleyball Association (IVA) Championship game. 

The Navy and Gold began the match with a comfortable 25-18 first set victory over the Battlers. Leading 19-16, the Cobras tallied three consecutive points to extend their lead to 22-16 over Alderson Broaddus. The three point scoring streak was created from a kill and a service ace by Artur Cabral, followed by a kill by Colton Parsons. Coker held their lead and notched the set winning point off a service error committed by the Battlers.

The Cobras would struggle to find their offensive groove after their first set victory and dropped the next three sets to Alderson Broaddus. Artur Cabral led the Cobras offensively with a team-best 18 kills and Stephen Porras dished out a team-high 26 assists. Defensively, the Navy and Gold were led by Gary Baker (11 digs) and Devion Whetstone (three total blocks).

Four Cobras made the All-IVA Tournament Team in Artur Cabral, Luca Berger, Stephen Porras, and Gary Baker. Cabral finished the IVA Tournament with 46 kills, while Berger completed the tournament with 12 kills and 11 total blocks. Stephen Porras dished out 77 assists and Gary Baker collected 26 digs during the tournament. In addition, Baker broke the Coker single season digs per set record, averaging 2.21.

The Cobras finished their 2017 campaign with a 14-10 overall record, tying the amount the wins they earned last season when they finished 14-9.

McDonald's Player of the Match – Artur Cabral