BRUNSWICK, Ga. – College of Coastal Georgia (6-4, 1-0) bests the Warner University Royals (2-3, 0-1) three sets to one in the thrilling four-set Sun Conference opener.
Senior Addie Pedraza (SR/El Paso, Texas) led the Mariners offense with 12 kills on 28 attacks. She was followed closely by senior Sam Kepler (SR/Sacramento, Calif.) and freshman Lillian Carlson (FR/St. Louis, Mo. ) each recording 10.
Defensively, the Mariners had multiple recording double-digit digs. Senior Libero Yorelis Rios Gonzalez (SR/Barranquitas, Puerto Rico) led the Mariners with 19 digs, followed by 10 from both junior setters Ashley Kot (JR/Venice, Fla. ) and Gardieliz Laureano-Andujar (JR/Corozal, Puerto Rico ).
In addition, Kot added four setter-dump kills to aid the Mariner offense.
Coastal Georgia 3, Warner University 1 (25-22, 26-24, 22-25, 25-22)
Set One:
The Mariners out hit the Royals in set one, getting 13 kills to their 11. Each front row player did their part, collecting 2 kills apiece, except Pedraza who added three on seven attempts. Both teams posted 14 digs in set one.
The Mariners took a lead early in set one after a four point run, to lead the Royals 15-9. The Mariners would play with a lead the rest of the set, but it would fluctuate to as close as one point multiple times. Coastal Georgia used the lead to their advantage to keep the momentum on their side. They finish the set with a three-point lead, besting the Royals 25-22.
Set Two:
The Royals played tight with the Mariners game two, battling back and forth all the way to 22-22. Carlson took a powerful swing down the line which seemed to be enough momentum for the Mariners to pull away with the set. The point may have led to too much energy because the Mariners blocked the ball out of bounds to tie the set again 23-23. The Royals setter made it Mariner match-point with a ball handling error forcing a Warner timeout.
The Royals won the point following the timeout and it was tied again 24-24. Coastal Georgia proved to have more fight than the Royals, finishing the extra point set with back-to-back kills from Adair Werley (SO/Buford, Ga.) and Pedraza on the pins. The Mariners pulled ahead, 2 sets to 0 with a 26-24 victory.
Set Three:
The Mariners start off hot in set three, taking a five-point lead in the early plays. The Royals battled back with their own four point run to close the gap to one point. The teams would battle back and forth for control of the set.
At 21-21 a Royal kill forced a Mariner timeout. Determined, Kepler comes out of the timeout scoring an off-speed kill. This would be the last point the Mariners would score in the third set. The Royals finished them off with a kill and two Mariner errors, winning 25-22.
Set Four:
Again, the Mariners and Royals duke it out in a tight set, settled in the last five points. At the score of 20-20 the momentum shifted in the Mariner's favor. Middle blockers Alison Muldrow (JR/Crosby, Texas ) and Tamaira Laezza (SO/Zephyrhills, Fla.) recorded back to back kills to give the Mariners to a two-point lead. Warner responded with a kill of their own, only to be shut down the next point by a Kill from Kepler forcing a Royal timeout at 23-21. The next point resulted in an attack error by Warner bringing set and match-point. To seal the deal, Werley pounded a ball into the center of the court. The Mariners won the fourth set 25-22.
The Mariners are back in action this Saturday in their first away Sun Conference match against Keiser University. You can follow the away game with live stats or live video here. The Mariners return home on Saturday, September 21 against Ave Maria at 2:00p.m.
