Cobras Rally for Five-Set Victory at Newberry in Season Opener

NEWBERRY, S.C. - The Coker University volleyball team rallied from two sets down for a 3-2 victory at Newberry in the 2020-21 season opener Thursday night (Mar. 4).

The Cobras fell down two sets early in the match, dropping set one 25-16 and set two 25-22. The Cobras would then rally for three straight set victories to take the match.

The teams played to a 6-6 tie in the third set, before the Cobras would eventually go on an 11-4 run to go ahead 17-10 and force a Newberry timeout. While the Wolves would rally to make the set close, the Cobras were able to maintain their lead and force a fourth set.

Coker jumped ahead 6-1 in the fourth set, before eventually going ahead 12-5 in the frame. Newberry got back within three at multiple points in the set, before the Cobras would go on another scoring run to stretch their lead to eight. Coker would finish the set on a 5-4 run to even up the match and force a decisive fifth set.

Coker played to a 5-3 lead early in the fifth set, before eventually taking a 10-6 lead in the set. The Cobras concluded the match scoring five of the final seven points to take the fifth set 15-8 to secure the come-from-behind victory.

The Cobras hit .310 in the third set, .412 in the fourth set and .688 in the fifth set. Emily Everton paced the Cobras with a career and match-high 26 kills, while Kay Hill added 16 kills in the match. Six other Cobras contributed kills in the win. Ashley Carson paced the Cobras with a team-high 26 assists, while Rami Mullen also contributed 16 assists on the night. Six other Cobras helped on Coker points in the victory. Makayla Harris and Hill each registered a team-high 12 digs in the match, while five others posted digs on the night. Chelsey Blume recorded the lone solo block for the Cobras, while also leading the Cobras with eight block assists. Five others contributed in the blocking effort in the victory.

The Cobras (1-0, 1-0 SAC) return to action on Saturday (Mar. 6) at Anderson (S.C.) in South Atlantic Conference action. First serve is set for 2:00 p.m., with video and live stats available at www.cokercobras.com.

Coker University will continue to assess the NCAA, federal, state and local developments and provide updated revisions as additional information is available.