Box Score by Kevin Buczek
WILSON, N.C.-After dropping the first two sets the Barton College women's volleyball team made an unlikely comeback on Coker College, winning the dramatic Conference Carolinas clash in five sets by a final score of 21-25, 24-26, 25-20, 25-21, 26-24 on Wednesday night in the Dog House.
Junior Kati Wood (Pasadena, Md.) and freshman Melissa Cochran (Knightdale, N.C.) each had 21 kills for the host Bulldogs as Barton improved to 10-14 overall and 6-10 in the conference. The win coupled with a Pfeiffer University loss to Queens University of Charlotte on Wednesday keeps Barton alive for the third and final playoff spot in the East Division heading into the final weekend of the regular season.
The Bulldogs host archrival Mount Olive College during Senior Day on Saturday at 7 p.m. Barton defeated the Trojans the first week of the season in non-conference play but MOC evened the score with a league win in Mount Olive.
Coker (8-18, 5-10) hit .214 in the first frame and .265 in the second stanza to take the sizable two set advantage. Sophomore Taylor Willis (Zephyrhills, Fla.) had 12 of her match-high 22 kills in the first two sets. Barton still led 20-19 in the first set but the Cobras closed out with a 6-1 run. The Bulldogs once again looked like they might win the second set serving for set point but Coker won the final six points to squeak out the extended length win.
Barton started to change the tide in the next two sets with better defense that included 27 digs in the third and four blocks in the fourth. The Bulldogs trailed 21-18 in the fourth before rattling off the final seven points to force a decisive fifth set.
In the race to 15 points, each team served for match point five times before a Coker hitting error gave Barton its sixth chance at 25-24. After freshman Amanda Grandy (Rolesville, N.C.) successfully put her serve into play a second straight hitting error by the Cobras that just sailed over the backline ended the thrill ride.
"Falling down 0-2 was not part of the plan and we could have stopped playing but they kept playing and showed a lot of heart," Barton first year head coach Jim Freeman said. "Both teams did and we are fortunate to come away with the victory. It was a really exciting match and a good win."
The showdown featured 237 combined digs including 124 by Coker and 113 by Barton. The Cobras defensive efforts were paced by junior Brittany Bass (Bethune, S.C.) recording 37 digs, sophomore Katie McElveen (Hartsville, S.C.) lifting up 34 and sophomore Mindy Morris (Beaufort, S.C.) making 29. The Bulldogs had five players reach double figures in digs including 30 by freshman Amanda Grandy (Rolesville, N.C.), 27 by freshman Meka Hoover (Seagrove, N.C.), 16 by Wood and 12 each by junior Chelsea Fleury (Camden, N.C.) and senior Meredith Thompson (Henderson, N.C.).
Wood and Hoover each finished with double-doubles as Wood had 21 kills and 16 digs and Hoover had a team-high 45 assists and 27 digs. Thompson served up a match-high six aces and freshman Skye Square (Manassas, Va.) led all blockers with seven block assists.
Freshman Samantha Celek (Charleston, S.C.) set up Coker's offense with 54 assists. McElveen added a double-double consisting of 34 digs and 11 kills.
Coach Freeman added, "Our blocking picked up. We didn't have any blocks in the first game but had 10 in the last four. Their hitting percentage dropped as our blocking picked up. Kati and Melissa scored a lot of points and we got a really good performance from our back line of Amanda, Chelsea and Meredith."
