HARTSVILLE, S.C.- The Coker College women's volleyball team finished 1-1 during the first day of the Newberry Volleyball Invitational by securing their first win of the season 3-1 (20-25, 25-19, 25-22, 25-16) against North Greenville University. Coker also dropped a game to Lander, 3-1 (25-19, 23-25, 22-25, 24-26).
In their match against Lander, Coker had a good hold on the Bearcats early by winning the first set 25-to-19. Lander would then fight back to win the final three sets. Taylor du Bray led the charge for the Cobras with 16 kills in the match. Additionally, Christen Bragg rallied 47 assists with a team-leading 20 digs. Madison Bingle sealed the first set for Coker with a kill after the Cobras had a 6-to-3 run to end the match.
In the second set Coker held a lead as high as seven points, leading 18-11 before Lander pulled even at the 21 all mark. Hannah Hritz secured the kill to hand the Bearcats the second set, 25-to-23.
In the second game against North Greenville, Coker put the offense on display, powering past the Crusaders, 3-to-1. Bingle again led the way offensively with 12 kills, while Bragg collected 40 more assists. Annie Mansfield put on the stops for the Cobras, supplying 27 blocks.
North Greenville took the first set 25-20, but Coker did put on a fight. After being down 20-to-11, the Cobras fought back to 24-20.
From the second set on, it was all Coker. Though the second set was a back and forth battle, the Cobras came out on the top end 25-19, closing out on a five-point run.
In the third set Coker found itself trailing 14-10. Head Coach Julia Rowland took a timeout to settle her team down, and it worked to her advantage. Coming out of the break the Cobras came back to tie the contest 14-to-14 with the help of two kills from Chloe Attram and Olivia Veith. Exchanging blows towards the latter half of the set, Coker was able to regain the lead, 20-to-19 on a perfectly placed ace by Mansfield.
In the fourth and final set of the afternoon, Coker broke first blood and didn't look back. Leading by 12 points at the most, the Cobras were able to pound North Greenville away and seal the first victory of the season with an Attram kill to win 25-to-16.
Coker will be back in action tomorrow when they take on UNC Pembroke at 1pm and Southern Wesleyan at 7pm to cap off the Newberry Volleyball Invitational.