HARTSVILLE, S.C. – After facing match point in the fourth set, the Catawba College women's volleyball team rallied to win the final two stanzas and log its first South Atlantic Conference triumph at Coker on Friday night.
TEAM STATS
- Catawba (2-9, 1-3 SAC) out-hit the Cobras (3-8, 2-4 SAC) 64-54 in kills as the blue and white also held a narrow advantage in percentage (.136-.130)
- The Catawba Indians totaled 113 digs, their highest mark since Oct. 31, 2021, compared to Coker's 99
- The hosts were topped in service, collecting three aces with seven errors while Catawba landed nine aces and committed five miscues
- Coker finished with a 8-7 lead in the blocking category including a 3-1 edge in solo stops
- Catawba held a tight 110-106 point differential in the five-set thriller
INDIVIDUAL STATS
- Lillie Kate Rogers erupted in her first collegiate match, tallying 18 kills while hitting .244 and chipping in 13 digs; her kills total is the highest by a Catawba Indian this season
- Rogers, Haley Moffett (29 assists, 14 digs), and Sydney McCutcheon (25 assists, 10 digs) each had a double-double
- Rachel Gonzales tacked on eight kills as Katie Clark slammed home seven on a team-high .538 hitting percentage
- Riley Hill supplied three aces and led the way in digs with 34, followed by Kary Hales' 21 – both recorded season-best defensive outings
- Clark connected on four blocks at the net while Annica Kagle and Natalie Rehm added two apiece
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
- Hill dropped in two aces in Catawba's first round of service to create an uphill battle for the Cobras
- The Catawba Indians' offensive prowess dragged the gap to 12-4 before the Cobras slithered back to 15-14
- Gonzales and Rehm had back-to-back kills followed by a shared block to restore a multi-point Catawba lead
- Devyn Berg notched darts to break Coker's last two service periods, allowing the blue and white to lock up the opening set, 25-20
Second Set
- Three quick kills from Gonzales helped Catawba run out to a 5-1 lead
- Cayla Gilmore began to key a comeback effort for the Cobras, her last kill making it 13-11
- Taylor Hills followed a set-tying block with a successful swing to put Coker ahead 17-16
- Rogers broke the Cobras' serve on set point, but Elif Hazar Kayan chalked up the deciding kill to level the score at 1-1
Third Set
- A trio of Clark kills in the early going combatted a strong attack from Coker
- Evened by a Rehm-Kagle block, an offensive charge by the Cobras led by three kills in six rallies from Hills made it 16-11 Coker
- Rogers and Clark combined for five kills in nine points to slim the deficit to two points
- Errant Catawba touches brought Coker closer to sealing the set before four Cobra errors triggered a timeout
- Hills landed the killshot to eke out a 25-22 win
Fourth Set
- Going back-and-forth to reach a knotted 8-8, the Cobras started to find footing by capitalizing on Catawba Indian gaffes
- Patrick and Rogers erased the gap, combining for a quartet of consecutive kills to level the set at 17-all
- After hitting 20-20, Coker threatened to end the match as a McKay Kasper tally forced a side-out and Hills dropped in the 23rd and 24th points
- On match point at 24-22, Kelcie Love and Rogers had kills to tie it back up before a Clark-Rogers one-two punch forced set five
Fifth Set
- Errors plagued the Cobras in the final stanza as their 1-0 lead slipped away on off-target attacks
- Catawba held a small but consistent advantage outside of a small surge that saw the score get to 6-6
- Love broke back-to-back Coker serves as Clark and Lauren Bodell followed with a big stop at 12-9
- Two darts by Rogers and an ace by Moffett wrapped up the set and match, completing a magical comeback win for the Catawba Indians
UP NEXT
Catawba looks to keep its momentum as the squad returns home on Friday, Oct. 11 to battle Lincoln Memorial at 7 p.m.
