Lions Sweep Coker

MARS HILL, N.C.-- Mars Hill's volleyball team got back in the win column with a sweep of Coker in South Atlantic Conference action Friday night at Stanford Arena.

The Lions won by scores of 25-22, 25-21, 25-16. Marissa Wixson's 12 kills paced the Mars Hill attack. Maggie Murphy notched a team-high 16 digs and passed Sarah Nash for fourth on Mars Hill's all-time list with 1,969 career digs. Fifteen Lions saw action in the match.Taylor Willis led Coker offensively with 13 kills and added five digs. Mars Hill improved to 9-5 overall and 7-3 in SAC matches. Coker falls to 3-15 overall and 0-10 in conference play.

Toni Cole and MaryKate Griffin each added 10 kills. Griffin hit an efficient .400, while Cole hit .333. Courtney Worthington notched a match-high 28 assists, while Hannah Wilson added 10 assists. Lindsay Austin and Christen Nicholson notched seven digs.

Amanda Harris added 10 kills for the Cobras. Mindy Morris notched a match-high 21 digs. Samantha Celek notched 22 assists, while Kelly Stine added 15.

The Cobras led for much of the first set before a 5-0 run to close the set gave MHU the victory. Down 22-20, the run started with a kill by Cole. Nicholson held serve the rest of the set, as Cole and Wixson added kills to help MHU take the first set, 25-22.

MHU raced out to a 9-3 lead in the second set and never looked back. Griffin paced the hot start with three kills, while Cole added two kills and Austin notched an ace. MHU led by as much as nine. Hannah Rowe and Regan Macomson each had two kills in the set for the Lions as they earned the 25-21 victory.

A five-point run put the final set out of reach and gave the Lions an 18-9 lead. MHU would lead by as much as 11. Natalie Rhew notched a pair of kills in the final set as the Lions closed out the victory.

Mars Hill will host Wingate in a South Atlantic Conference match tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. in Stanford Arena.