Coker Cobras
The Coker College women's volleyball end their regular season slate by hosting Lincoln Memorial and Tusculum in pair of South Atlantic Conference matches on Friday and Saturday. The Cobras battle the Railsplitters on Senior Night on Friday (Nov. 2) at 7:00 p.m., and then face the Pioneers with postseason hopes on the line for both teams on Saturday (Nov. 3) at 2:00 p.m. Tickets for the matches are $5 for adults, $3 for students and free to all Coker faculty, staff and students.
The Cobras finished with a 14-17 record last season. This year, they're 12-15 start overall, with an 4-14 record in conference. Coker started the season 7-1, their best start in 20 years. Their 14 wins last season were the most for the program since 2007-2008, and they advanced to the quarterfinals of the South Atlantic Conference tournament for the first time in team history. The Cobras need to win at least one match to have a shot at the South Atlantic Conference Championships. Coker currently trails Catawba by one game in the standings, and are tied with Tusculum, who they play on the final day of the regular season.
The Cobras feature an exciting mix of returners, along with five freshmen that have made an immediate impact on the team. Freshman Rami Mullen leads the team in assists (891), and ranks second in digs (316). She's recorded 19 double-doubles this season, and surpassed 50 or more assists twice.
Player to Watch
Overholt could be finishing out her Coker career this weekend. The Senior has appeared in 112 matches for the Cobras, amassing 1,759 digs over her four seasons, good for third place all-time. She set the Coker single-season digs record, when she recorded 569 digs in 2017. She also holds the single-game digs record with 38 digs against Carson-Newman back in 2016.
KEY NUMBERS
(Senior Edition)
131
Kara Overholt enters this match just 131 digs from Kelsey Carlson (2005-09) for second place on Coker's all-time digs list.
1.93
Cayley Gunter has recorded a career-best 1.93 kills per set during her senior season.
33
Arianne Jewell ranks third on the team with 33 blocks, including four solo blocks this year.
85, 29, 13
Olivia Veith has set career highs in kills (85), digs (29), and blocks (13) during her senior season.
132
Chloe Attram has tallied 132 kills during her Coker career while battling back from a season-ending ACL injury suffered last season.
STATISTICAL LEADERS
KILLS
Taylor Du Bray | 349
Lana Strejcek | 229
Olivia Cerick | 188
Cayley Gunter | 79
BLOCKS
Lana Strejcek | 72
Taylor du Bray | 39
Arianne Jewell | 33
Olivia Cerick | 20
DIGS
Kara Overholt | 431
Rami Mullen | 316
Taylor du Bray | 295
Olivia Cerick | 265
HITTING % (Min. 200 TA)
Lana Strejcek | .278%
Taylor du Bray | .161%
Cayley Gunter | .139%
Olivia Cerick | .113%
THANK YOU, SENIORS!
Coker will honor five seniors on Friday (Nov. 2) for their incredible contributions to the Coker College community both on and off the court.
Coker Cobras
2018 Coker Women’s Volleyball Roster
2 Rami Mullen S Fr. 5-7 Harrisburg, N.C. / Hickory Ridge HS
3 Gabrielle Milo L Fr. 5-2 Summerville, S.C. / Ashley Ridge HS
4 Cayley Gunter OH Sr. 5-8 Johnsonville, S.C. / Johnsonville HS
5 Samantha Ojeda DS/L So. 5-3 Fort Mill, S.C. / Indian Land HS
7 Olivia Cerick OH Fr. 5-10 Huntersville, N.C. / William Amos Hough HS
8 Emily Everton OH Fr. 6-1 Moore, S.C. / Byrnes HS
9 Sierra Harvey MB Jr. 5-11 Kingsland, Ga. / Camden County HS
10 Taylor du Bray S/RS Jr. 5-9 Highlands Rach, Colo. / Mountain Vista HS
11 Caroline Layne MB Fr. 6-0 Spartanburg, S.C / Spartanburg HS
12 Maddie Gardner DS/L Jr. 5-5 Knoxville, Tenn. / University of Tennessee
14 Annie Mansfield OH So. 5-10 Yalaha, Fla. / First Academy - Leesburg
15 Payton Jackson RS/MB So. 5-11 McKinney, Tx. / McKinney North HS
16 Arianne Jewell MB Sr. 5-10 Canton, Ga. / Cherokee HS
17 Chloe Attram MB Sr. 5-10 Laurel, Md. / Francis Marion University
18 Olivia Veith OH Sr. 5-10 Pensacola, Fla. / Pine Forest HS
19 Kara Overholt L Sr. 5-9 Tryon, N.C. / Polk County HS
20 Lana Strejcek MB Fr. 6-3 Cornelius, N.C. / William Amos Hough HS
Head Coach: Julia Rowland
Assistant Coaches: Jay Novoa-Miralles, Jose Soto
2018 Women's Volleyball Schedule
8.24. | Winston-Salem | 1:00 PM | Home | WIN 3-0
8.24 | Lees-McRae | 7:00 PM | Home | WIN 3-0
8.25 | Indianapolis | 1:00 PM | Home | LOSS 3-0
8.25 | UNC Pembroke | 7:00 PM | Home | WIN 3-1
8.31 | Fayetteville State | 11:00 AM | @ UNC Pembroke | WIN 3-0
8.31 | Shaw | 3:00 PM | @ UNC Pembroke | WIN 3-1
9.1 | Lees-McRae | 3:00 PM | @ UNC Pembroke | WIN 3-0
9.1 | UNC Pembroke | 7:00 PM | @ UNC Pembroke | WIN 3-2
9.4 | Queens (N.C.) | 7:00 PM | @ Queens | LOSS 3-2
9.7 | Anderson (S.C.) | 1:00 PM | @ Anderson, S.C. | LOSS 3-0
9.7 | Erskine | 3:00 PM | @ Anderson, S.C. | WIN 3-0
9.22 | Carson-Newman | 2:00 PM | @ Carson-Newman | LOSS 3-2
9.25 | Queens (N.C.) | 7:00 PM | Home | LOSS 3-0
9.28 | Newberry | 7:00 PM | Home | LOSS 3-0
9.29 | Anderson (S.C.) | 2:00 PM | Home | LOSS 3-1
10.05 | Lincoln Memorial | 7:00 PM | @ Lincoln Memorial | LOSS 3-0
10.06 | Tusculum | 2:00 PM | @ Tusculum | WIN 3-2
10.09 | Catawba | 6:30 PM | Home | WIN 3-1
10.11 | Lenoir Rhyne | 7:00 PM | @ Lenoir-Rhyne | LOSS 3-0
10.12 | Mars Hill | 7:00 PM | @ Mars Hill | LOSS 3-0
10.16 | Wingate | 7:00 PM | @ Wingate | LOSS 3-0
10.20 | Carson-Newman | 2:00 PM | Home | WIN 3-1
10.22 | Wingate | 7:00 PM | Home | LOSS 3-0
10.23 | Lenoir-Rhyne | 7:00 PM | Home | LOSS 3-0
10.26 | Newberry | 7:00 PM | @ Newberry | WIN 3-0
10.28 | Mars Hill | 2:00 PM | Home | LOSS 3-0
10.30 | Catawba | 6:30 PM | @ Catawba | LOSS 3-0
11.2 | Lincoln Memorial | 7:00 PM | Home
11.3 | Tusculum | 2:00 PM | Home
SOUTH ATLANTIC CONFERENCE STANDINGS
Wingate | 17-1 Conference | 24-1 Overall
Anderson | 16-2 Conference | 25-3 Overall
Lincoln Memorial | 13-5 Conference | 17-7 Overall
Lenoir-Rhyne | 11-8 Conference | 17-9 Overall
Mars Hill | 10-9 Conference | 16-11 Overall
Carson-Newman | 9-9 Conference | 13-12 Overall
Queens | 8-10 Conference | 12-13 Overall
Catawba | 5-13 Conference | 9-20 Overall
Coker | 4-14 Conference | 12-15 Overall
Tusculum | 4-14 Conference | 6-18 Overall
Newberry | 3-15 Conference | 8-17 Overall
Lincoln Memorial vs Coker
Friday, November 2nd | 7:00 PM | DeLoach Center
Lincoln Memorial finished 13-16 last season, and 8-12 in conference. The Railsplitters fell to Wingate 3-0 in the South Atlantic Conference Championships Quarterfinals. LMU is one of the hottest teams in the conference this season, winning eight of their last nine matches. Their only loss came in a five-set heartbreaker to Anderson. All seven of Lincoln Memorial's losses have come against teams with winning records.
The Railsplitters have taken a major leap forward this season, positioning themselves alongside Wingate and Anderson as one of the top teams in a very good conference. Junior Rylee Storms leads the offensive attack, while seniors Tone Gill and Danielle Ged create a formidable middle that has stymied nearly every team in the South Atlantic Conference.
LMU was picked to finish fifth in the SAC Volleyball Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Railsplitters swept the Cobras 3-0 earlier in the season, and are 10-1 against Coker since the Cobras joined the South Atlantic Conference.
Player to Watch
Gill is a dominant physical presence in the middle for the Railsplitters. She ranks fourth in the conference in blocks (90), and third in blocks per set (1.14). The Cobras limited her to just one block in their meeting earlier this season, but she recorded nine in a three-set match against Coker last year. The Coker hitters will need to find a way to avoid Gill if they hope to pick up the big victory.
STATISTICAL LEADERS
KILLS | Rylee Storms - 242
BLOCKS | Tone Gill - 90
ASSISTS | Emily Walter - 847
DIGS | Erica Whiteaker - 588
Hitting % | Alicia Kessler - .268%
Lincoln Memorial Roster
2018 Railsplitters Volleyball Roster
1 Emily Walter S 5-8 Fr. Buford, GA / Mill Creek High School
3 Rylee Storms RS 6-0 R-Jr. Grand Rapids, MI / Grand Rapids Community College
5 Danielle Stachura S 5-7 R-Jr. Pleasant Prairie, WI / University of Mount Olive
6 Erica Whiteaker DS 5-3 Sr. Kingston Springs, TN / Harpeth High School
7 Kai Wesemann OH 5-10 Sr. Pleasant Hill, MO / Johnson County Community College
8 Lindsey Nartker OH 5-10 Jr. New Carlisle, OH / Tecumseh High School
9 Abby Higgins S 5-6 Jr. Kingsport, TN / Walters State Community College
10 Danielle Ged MH 6-1 Sr. Smyrna, TN / Blackman High School
12 Kaylee Stone OH 5-8 Jr. Chattanooga, TN / Notre Dame High School
13 Caitlin Bethell OH/DS 5-8 Fr. Hitchin, England / Navarre High School
14 Emma Flowers OH 6-0 Fr. Cleveland, TN / Cleveland High School
15 Sarah Jones DS 5-4 So. Murfreesboro, TN / Riverdale High School
16 Tone Gill MH 5-9 R-Sr. Nashville, TN / Martin Luther King Academic Magnet
18 Alicia Kessler MH/RS 6-2 So. Jackson Center, OH / Jackson Center High School
19 Shyanne Tallman DS 5-5 So. Camp Lejeune, NC / Lejeune High School
Head Coach: Jenny Michael
Assistant Coach: Todd Raasch
Tusculum vs Coker
Saturday, November 3rd | 2:00 PM | DeLoach Center
Tusculum finished 15-16 last season, and 10-10 in conference. The Pioneers fell to Carson-Newman 3-1 in the South Atlantic Conference Championships Quarterfinals. The Pioneers are in the midst of their worst season in over a decade, with just a 6-18 overall record this year and 4-14 South Atlantic Conference record. However, they still have an outside shot at reaching the South Atlantic Conference Championships if they can close out their season with victories over Wingate and Coker.
Tusculum has struggled this season in large part because they lost four seniors that were integral to their success in prior years. Sabrina Schleuger, Laryssa Welch, Mariah Lewis, and Shannon Murphy all graduated last year, leaving the Pioneers with a roster of 15 freshmen or redshirt freshmen. However, they did manage to win three matches in a row against SAC opponents, Newberry, Carson-Newman, and Lenoir-Rhyne. Those three wins have them in position for a potential postseason berth.
Tusculum was picked to finish sixth in the SAC Volleyball Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Pioneers fell to the Cobras 3-2 in a dramatic five-set match earlier in the season, and are 8-3 against Coker since the Cobras joined the South Atlantic Conference.
Player to Watch
Pigza, a true freshman from Fort Mill, S.C., leads the Pioneers in blocks (76), and ranks third in kills (143). She recorded 10 kills and three blocks when Tusculum faced Coker back on Oct. 6, and has notched five or more blocks in six matches so far this season.
Tusculum Roster
2018 Pioneers Volleyball Roster
3 Alyssa Rojas S/DS 5-6 Jr. Leesburg, Fla. / Broward College / First Academy
4 Taylor Blythe MB 6-1 Fr. Seymour, Tenn. / Kings Academy
5 Tatum Thornton MB 5-10 Jr. Dallas, Texas / Palm Beach State / Life HS
6 Aubrey Hawkins RS 6-0 Jr. Stamping Ground, Ky. / Scott County HS
7 Cassie Born OH 5-11 Sr. Horse Shoe, N.C. / Hendersonville HS
8 Brooke Statler MB 6-0 Jr. Columbus, Ind. / Columbus East HS
10 Gabby Gray OH 6-0 So. Chickamauga, Ga./Western Carolina/Baylor School
12 Carli Pigza MB 5-11 Fr. Fort Mill, S.C. / Nation Ford HS
13 Jordan Zaleski DS 5-6 Fr. Brentwood, Tenn. / Father Ryan HS
14 Melissa Mazur L 5-5 Sr. Chicago, Ill. / John F. Kennedy HS
15 Kayli Dempster OH 5-9 Jr. Floyd Knobs, Ind. / Floyd Central HS
17 Emily Lawless S 5-6 Fr. Clinton, Tenn. / Oak Ridge HS
18 Lydia Collins MB 6-1 Fr. Knoxville, Tenn. / King's Academy
22 Courtney Whited DS/L 5-6 RFr. West Chester, Ohio / Lakota West HS
24 Nevena Pejovic OH 5-11 Jr. Podgorica, Montenegro/Odessa College/Petrovic Njegos
Head Coach: Michael Robinson
Assistant Coaches: Ashton Hippenstiel and Sunny Bakic
WATCH LIVE ON THE COBRA SPORTS NETWORK
Can't make it to the DeLoach Center this weekend? Catch all four games on the Cobra Sports Network via Stretch Internet at the link below.