PEMBROKE, N.C. - The Coker University volleyball team won two out of its three matches to start the year on Saturday (Sept. 7), defeating UNC Pembroke 3-2 and Fayetteville State 3-0 before dropping the final match of the day to Grand Valley State 3-0.
Coker dropped the first set against UNCP 25-16, before rebounding to take the second set 27-25 and the third set 25-22. The Braves would force a fifth set with a 25-19 win in set four. Coker would take the fifth set 15-9 and the match 3-2.
Taylor du Bray led the Cobras with 17 kills in the match, while Olivia Cerick recorded 11 and Chelsey Blume and Emily Everton each recorded 10. Ashley Carson paced the Cobras with 42 assists in the match, while Camryn Tate led the team with 20 digs. Cerick also recorded 14 digs in the match, while Everton totaled 11.
The Cobras would sweep Fayetteville State by set scores of 25-18, 25-11 and 25-18 to start the day 2-0.
Du Bray's nine kills were a team high in the match, while eight other Cobras recorded kills in the match. Carson posted a team-high 15 assists in the match, while six others each registered at least one assist in the match. Tate's 14 digs were a team-high, while Carson also recorded 11 digs and seven others recorded at least one dig in the match.
Grand Valley State would spoil Coker's bid for a sweep on the day, sweeping the Cobras in straight sets 25-17, 25-18 and 25-21.
Blume and Everton shared the team-high in kills with five in the match, while three others recorded kills in the contest. Carson posted 14 assists in the match, while three others each registered assists in the contest. Everton and Carson would share the team-high in digs with 10 each, while six others also recorded digs in the match.
Du Bray marked a career milestone in the game by recording her 800th career kill against Grand Valley State. She remains just 15 kills shy of Selena Davis (2001-04), who is in sixth place on the career all-time kills list.
The Cobras (2-1) open South Atlantic Conference play next Friday (Sept. 13) against Newberry. First serve is set for 7:00 p.m. at the DeLoach Center.