Lions win thrilling five-set contest against Coker
Ellen Davis' three kills in the fifth set helped the Mars Hill volleyball team pick up a crucial South Atlantic Conference win against Coker, 3-2, in dramatic fashion on the road Friday evening.
HARTSVILLE, S.C. - Ellen Davis' three kills in the fifth set helped the Mars Hill volleyball team pick up a crucial South Atlantic Conference win against Coker, 3-2, in dramatic fashion on the road Friday evening.
Davis, who finished the game with four kills on five attempts, led the Lions offensively in the deciding frame as the Lions came away with a 15-9 score to clinch their ninth win of the season. Lauren Hochstetler's 10th kill of the night secured the victory.
Mars Hill dropped the first set to the Cobras, who were celebrating senior night, by a score of 25-21 with Taylor du Bray knocking down five of her game-high 21 kills. du Bray attempted a season-high 74 swings.
The Lions roared back defiantly in the second with a dominating 25-12 score to even up the match. Dayanna Barbosa had three kills in the stanza. Sally Anne Johnson and Rebecca Butler each had a solo block and a block assist.
Coker rallied back to take the third set 25-23. The teams were tied at 16 all when the Cobras reeled off four straight points to provide them enough of a cushion down the stretch to the send the contest into the fourth set with a lead.
A resilient Lions team would battle to take the fourth set and head into a game-deciding fifth set. Although the team hit its lowest percentage in the fourth frame (.149), it was Coker's 10 errors and -.020 percentage that helped the Lions reach the final set.
Mars Hill dominated from start of the set, jumping out to a 10-2 lead. Coker would earn four straight points with two Lions attack errors and two du Bray kills, but ultimately the Lions early lead remained intact down the stretch, taking the final two points of the game.
The fifth set win marked the first time the Lions have gone the distance and come out victorious since October 22, 2016 on the road against Brevard.
Christen Bragg led all players with 41 assists and had a team-high .222 hitting percentage. Kara Overholt had a game-high 25 digs.
Elizabeth Kaeser recorded a double-double with 14 kills and 18 digs. Sarah Pasour assisted on 33 points, had 13 digs and chipped in two kills.
Mars Hill improves to 9-15 (7-10 SAC) while Coker falls to 12-15 (5-12 SAC).
The Lions wrap up weekend play on the road against Newberry, Saturday, November 4 with a 2 p.m. contest in their final road game of the regular season.