Coker Drops 5-Set Heartbreaker to C-N

HARTSVILLE, SC -  Coker volleyball dropped a heartbreaking five-set match to visiting Carson-Newman on Friday night inside the DeLoach Center. C-N earned the South Atlantic Conference win, 25-22, 18-25, 25-20, 17-25, 21-19. 

BY THE NUMBERS:

Coker 8-10 (4-6 SAC) | Carson-Newman (15-3, 6-3 SAC)

• Coker recorded a .277 kill percentage for the match that included .424 in the fourth set. 

• The Cobras had 60 sets and 62 kills.

• Coker recorded 14 block assists.  

• Sophomore Alyssa Carey collected a career-best 25 kills.

• Freshman Cheyenne Bird notched a career-best 51 assists.

TOP PERFORMERS:

Alyssa Carey: 25 kills, .345 kill percentage, 10 digs, 2 block assists

Addie Bittner: 10 kills, 16 digs 

Cheyenne Bird: 51 assists, 3 service aces, 3 block assists

Cayla Gilmore: 13 kills, 2 block assists

McKay Kasper: 4 block assists

Meadow Morse: 23 digs

HOW IT HAPPENED:

Set 1: Carson-Newman opened with an 8-3 run, but Coker responded with seven of the next eight points to take a 10-9 lead. The score seesawed from there and was tied at 17 before the Eagles closed the set strong, scoring eight of the final 13 points to secure the win.

Set 2: Coker jumped out to a 2-0 start and held a 9-7 advantage before Carson-Newman answered with four straight points. With the score tied again at 17, the Cobras finished with an impressive 8-1 run to even the match. Four of those points came on Cheyenne Bird's serves, while Cayla Gilmore notched two key kills in the closing stretch.

Set 3: Carson-Newman grabbed an early 3-0 lead before Coker briefly went in front at 4-3. The Eagles quickly regained control and never trailed again, building a 19-11 lead. Coker battled back to within three late, but C-N held on to take the set.

Set 4: Facing elimination, Coker came out strong, jumping ahead 8-4 and never looking back. The Cobras extended their lead to 21-14 and closed out the set 25-17 to force a decisive fifth frame.

Set 5: The final set had fans on the edge of their seats. Carson-Newman led 7-4 before Coker tied it at 7 on a pair of strong serves from Addie Bittner. The Eagles went back up 10-8, but Coker stormed ahead 12-10 with a four-point run. The teams traded points and match points in dramatic fashion, highlighted by clutch blocks from Cayla Gilmore, McKay Kasper, and Cheyenne Bird, and a late kill from Alyssa Carey to extend play. Ultimately, Carson-Newman prevailed by taking the final two points to claim the set and the match.

WHAT'S NEXT?

Coker will play its final non-conference match of the season on Tuesday when they visit Georgia College. The 6 PM match can be viewed on the PBSC Network.