Coker Wraps up at the Bulldog Classic

WINGATE, NC: Coker travelled to Wingate, NC, to compete in the Bulldog Classic. They faced USC Aiken, Lewis, UNC Pembroke, and Francis Marion. Coker went 2-2 on the weekend.

BY THE NUMBERS:

• VS Francis Marion 
  • 3-2
• VS UNC Pembroke
  • 3-2
• VS USC Aiken
  • 1-3
• VS Lewis
  • 1-3

TOP PERFORMERS:

1. VS Francis Marion
   1. Cayla Gilmore: 18 pts, 14 kills, 2 solo blocks, 4 block assists
   2. Addie Bittner: 15 pts, 15 kills, .359 Kill %, 1 ace
   3. Kamille Charles: 11.5 pts, 9 kills, .667 kill %, 1 solo block, 3 block assist
2. VS UNC Pembroke
   1. Addie Bittner: 17 points, 16 kills, .225 kill %, 2 blocks assist
   2. Cayla Gilmore: 15 points, 14 kills, 4 block assists
   3. Cheyenne Bird: 50 assists
3. VS USC Aiken
   1. Pelin Aksoy: 9 Kills, 2 block assists
   2. Maddy Roberts: 16 assists, 1 service ace
   3. Cayla Gilmore: 9 kills, 1 block assist
4. VS Lewis
   1. Cayla Gilmore: 8 kills, 2 solo blocks, 2 block assists
   2. Maddy Roberts: 18 assists, 1 kill
   3. Addie Bittner: 9 kills

HOW IT HAPPENED:

Francis Marion (3-2)

Coker had a strong performance against FMU. The first set saw the Cobras have a dominant performance as they won 25-14 to take a 1-set lead. In the second set, FMU returned the favor as they had a strong second set, winning it 25-15. The 3rd set was a shootout between the two teams, with FMU just beating out Coker to win their second set. Then in the 4th, it was a similar story with a different ending as Coker took the 25-22 lead and forced a 5th set. The 5th set was no different from the 3rd and 4th, as Coker and FMU were close all the way to the end. With the game all tied up 15 a 15, Addie Bittner had back-to-back kills to win the match 15-17.

This game had new faces that stole the spotlight, with Addie Bittner leading the team in kills with 15, Cheyenna Bird having 33 assists, and Kamille Charles having a 66.7% kill percentage. On the defensive half of things, Hazar Kayan, McKay Kasper, and Cayla Gilmore were all standouts, with each having 4 block assists.

UNC Pembroke (3-2)

Coker faced off against UNC Pembroke in game 2 of day 1. This was a close affair all the way to the end. Once again, the Freshmen stole the show as Cheyenne Bird had 50 assists and Addie Bittner had 16 kills. Coker also tied the school record for most assists in a single game with 61.

The first set saw Coker and UNCP close all the way to the finish. The deciding run in this game came when the score was tied up 15-15. UNCP then went on a 4-point run that they were able to hold with the set ending 25-21 in favor of the Braves. The second set had Coker have a late lead, with the scoring being 20-15. UNCP was able to claw its way back into the game as it took a 21-20 lead over the Cobras. Coker came back to regain the lead after a few kills by Addie Bittner and Cayla Gilmore, giving Coker the 23-21 lead. Coker ended up closing out this game with a winning kill from Freshman Kamille Charles. The third set saw UNCP winning it 25-19 after an early run was able to keep the set just out of reach for the Cobras. Coker followed up the third set with a dominant performance as they beat out the Braves 25-21 to force a 5-setter. Coker was out to a 17-11 lead before UNCP came back into this game to make it a tight race to the end of the 4th set. However, due to some attacking errors on the UNCP side of the court, Coker took the 4th set. The first half of the 5th set was close, with Coker having a 7-6 lead. However, a strong serving performance from Cheyenna Bird made all the difference as Coker jumped out to a 12-8 lead. It ultimately was McKay Kasper who sent in the final dagger to win the match for Coker.

USC Aiken (1-3)

The third game of the Bulldog Classic was against USC Aiken. The first set of this match-up saw USC Aiken win 25-20 over the Cobras. In the first set, the two teams were battling it early in the set with the game all tied up at 11-11. USC Aiken then went on a strong run as they went up 20-13 over the Cobras. Following Aiken's run, the Cobras went on a run of their own. With Alyssa Carey on the serve, the Cobras brought this game close, with the scoring being 19-22. However, the USC Aiken lead was too strong, and they closed out the first set 20-25. In the second set, Coker was hot as they had a 10-6 lead over USC Aiken. Aiken went on another strong run as they had an 18-12 lead over the Cobras. Coker made a let run to try and tie the game up, being down 24-17, but came up short as USC Aiken won the 2nd set 25-20. In the third set, Coker came into their own as they were dominant from start to finish in this one. Coker had 14 kills in this set with a .261% kill percentage. Coker had multiple 3-5 point runs in this set, which was the deciding factor as Coker won the third 25-16. In the fourth set, USC Aiken was able to get out to another early lead that they were able to hold as they finished with match with a 1-3 lead.

Lewis (1-3)

The Final matchup of this week was against Lewis. Lewis won this game 3-1 over the Cobras. Coker lost the first set 25-19, the second 25-17, won the third set 25-21, and lost the 4th set 25-21. Addie Bittner was one of Coker's best players in this match, like the other, putting up 9 kills in this game. Cayla Gilmore also had a very good game on both sides of the ball as she had 8 kills, 2 solo blocks, and 2 block assists. Maddy Roberts also had a good game as she registered 18 assists to her name.

WHAT'S NEXT?

Coker will travel to UNC Pembroke next weekend as they have another 4-game weekend. They will be playing UNC Pembroke, Eckerd, Palm Beach Atlantic, and Albany St.