Volleyball Splits Day Two of Erskine Tournament

DUE WEST, S.C. - The Coker University volleyball team split the second day of the Erskine College tournament on Saturday (Aug. 27), falling to Francis Marion 3-0 but rallying past host Erskine 3-2. 

Coker dropped the first match of the day to Francis Marion by scores of 25-15, 25-22 and 25-20. Taylor Hills and Naomi Earl-Reyes each finished with nine kills, while Chelsey Blume finished with four kills and Lauren Loveday with three. Nehemiah Jinks and Alaysia Anderson each had two kills in the match, while Kendal Boland had one. Adriana Velez dished out 15 assists in the match, while Boland had eight, Blume and Makayla Harris each had two and Anderson had one. Blume led the blocking effort with five block assists, while Earl-Reyes contributed three and Jinks, Loveday and Anderson each had two. Hills led the way in the dig column with 13, while Loveday had 11 and Harris totaled eight. Velez added six digs in the match, while Boland had five. Earl-Reyes (four), Alex Williams (three) and Blume (two) also registered digs in the match. 

After dropping the first set to Erskine 25-15, the Cobras came out hot and took an 11-6 lead in the second set. The Cobras later built the lead to 17-11, before the Flying Fleet rallied back within one. Coker would take eight of the final 12 points to tie the match. 

The teams played to a 9-9 tie in the third set, before later locking up at 17-17. Erskine would finish off the third set with a late run for a 2-1 match lead. 

The teams played to an early 9-8 Coker lead in the fourth set, before Erskine would rally for a 12-11 lead. Coker would then go on a five-point run for a 16-12 lead, before the teams would eventually lock up at 18-18. After playing to a 20-20 deadlock, Coker won five of the final six points to force a fifth and final set. 

Erskine jumped out to an early 8-2 lead in the fifth set, before the Cobras rallied to tie the decisive set at 12. The teams went back and forth, before Coker was able to close things out at 16-14 for the match victory. 

Blume finished with a match-high 17 kills, while Hills and Earl-Reyes each finished with 10 kills apiece. Loveday tallied six kills in the victory, while Jinks and Anderson each registered three and Boland had two. Velez dished out 28 assists in the match, while while Boland added 18 and Harris, Loveday and Hills each had one. Loveday paced the Cobras with a career-high 21 digs, while Harris had 18 and Hills totaled 13. Five other Cobras registered digs in the match. Hills and Jinks each posted solo blocks in the match, while Blume led the way with five block assists. Earl-Reyes posted four, while Anderson had three and Jinks had two. 

The Cobras (2-1) return home to open South Atlantic Conference play against Lenoir-Rhyne on Tuesday (Aug. 30). First serve is set for 6:00 p.m. from the DeLoach Center, with video and live stats available at www.cokercobras.com.