CONWAY, S.C. - The College of Charleston bounced back from a first set defeat, winning the next three sets and topping Coastal Carolina, 3-1 (18-25, 25-23, 25-12, 25-21).
The Cougars (11-7, 2-0) won the final non-conference match behind a season-best 16 kills from freshman Sloane White. The reigning SoCon Freshman of the Week made just three errors in the match to hit .371 overall. Sophomore Taeler Davis played the final three sets at setter and made a season-best 28 assists along with two service aces.
Senior Elyse Chubb hit a team-best .409, landing 11 kills and made five total blocks. Classmate Sarah Havel led the team with six total blocks and had nine kills. Junior Emily Shelton made 15 digs and freshman Andi Zbojniewicz made 10 digs. College of Charleston made 11 total blocks and held the Chanticleers to a negative hitting percentage in each of the last two sets.
"We came out a little flat in the first set," head coach Jason Kepner said. "But we made a few changes in the second set and our blocking helped spark some momentum. I was happy with the way that we responded in a road environment."
The Chanticleers (6-11, 0-2) were led by Erika Lightsey and Lian Bernett who each tallied 11 kills.
After staying even for most of the first set, the Chanticleers scored four straight points to turn a 10-9 deficit into a 13-10 lead. College of Charleston could climb closer as Coastal climbed to a 17-13 lead and eventually won the first set, 25-18. White was Charleston's most effective offensive option, landing five kills on eight attempts with no errors. Coastal Carolina hit .289 in the first set, led by Lightsey's five kills.
The Chanticleers came out strong in the second set, building a 5-1 lead and eventually leading 12-7. However, the Cougars rallied to tie the set at 16 apiece, and go on to lead 21-17. With Charleston holding set point at 24-20, Coastal mounted a furious final rally to make the score 24-23. However, White finished the game with a kill from the right side to give Charleston the 25-23 set win. White tallied five kills yet again and the team hit .333 with just two attacking errors.
The Cougars started the third set as they finished the third, with lots of energy and quick points. The Cougars jumped out to a 7-2 lead and the Chanticleers were never closer than the three-point deficit at 8-5. The Cougars won nine of the last ten points of the set to take it, 25-12. College of Charleston hit .345, once again committing just two attack errors. The Cougar defense recorded four blocks, 16 digs and held Coastal to a hitting percentage of -.029.
Coastal Carolina rallied from a 8-4 deficit with three straight points and the teams were locked in back and forth points for the rest of the fourth set. College of Charleston was finally able to pull away from a 20-18 game and won the set, 25-21. The Cougars hit .125 and the Chanticleers tallied a -.062 percentage in the final set.
College of Charleston returns home for two conference games this weekend, hosting Georgia Southern on Saturday at 2 p.m., and Davidson on Sunday at 2 p.m.
