Hartsville, SC- The Coker Cobras and the Barton Bulldogs made their first Conference Carolinas volleyball match a memorable one, as they battled to a five game finish that eventually saw the Cobras come out with a 3-2 victory. With the win Coker improves to 4-4 overall, and 1-0 in the conference, while Barton drops to 0-3 overall, and 0-1 in the conference.

In the first game of the match, Barton jumped out to an early lead and held on for a 30-20 win, Coker bounced right back with a 30-18 win in game two. The turning point of the entire match came in the third game, with Barton up 29-21; Coker scored eight straight points to tie the match at 29. Although, Barton would go one to win the game 32-30, the eight point rally lit a fire under the Cobras that carried over to the next two games. In games four and five Coker came out on top with scores of 30-20 and 15-9.

Leading the Cobras was Margaret Madison/Savannah, GA, with 13 kills, 15 digs and six blocks, while Natalie Schembra/Hilton Head, SC, and Samantha Cliborne/Goose Creek, SC, each had 11 kills. Megan Haupt/Summerville, SC, added 10 kills and 15 digs of her own to the offense. Kelsey Carlson/Osweego, IL, had 26 digs, while Schembra added 10 digs. Megan Gordon/Chicago, IL, had 41 assists and three aces.

For the Bulldogs, Michelle Walker/Benson, NC, had 17 kills, nine digs and four blocks, while Melissa Ritter/Wescosville, PA, had 16 kills and 12 digs. Jill McAndrews/Ellicottville, NY, added nine kills and four aces, while Cassie Blackmon/Henderson, NC, 13 digs and Macon Harmon/Durham, NC, had 34 assists.

The Cobras return to the court on Saturday, as they travel to Armstrong Atlantic for a tournament. Coker’s first game is against host Armstrong Atlantic at 1:00 p.m.