Coker Sports Roundup

Volleyball

With a 3-1 loss to the Fighting Koalas of Columbia College, the Coker volleyball team’s losing streak was extended to seven matches last Wednesday. The Lady Cobras (1-9, 0-2) lost the first set 25-13, but bounced back with a 25-21 win in set number two only to lose sets three and four with scores of 25-17 and 25-15.

Cross Country

The Coker cross country teams competed in the 2009 Wingate Invitational on Saturday, with the Lady Cobra runners placing sixth out of 10 teams and the Cobra men placing 10 out of 10.

Leading the women was senior Dana Daves (York) with a time of 27:03 in the 6k event, followed by Samantha Fletcher (Pompton Lakes, N.J.) at 29:14. Alex Ochoa (Pamplico) was next at 29:30, with Aliese Gregory (Aiken, S.C.) finishing at 30:09 and Amy Jones (Hurricane, W. Va.) coming in at 30:27.
In the men’s meet, Britain Tomlinson (Rock Hill) completed the 8k race at 31:46, while Thad Sulek (Hilton Head) came in at 33:14. Quinn Wegner (Sumter) finished at 34:17, followed by Austin McJunkin (Walhalla, S.C.) and Andrew Caputa (Germany) at 35:53 and 36:09 respectively.

The Cobras return to action Oct. 2 in Charlotte, N.C., for the UNC-Charlotte Invitational.

Soccer

When regionally ranked No. 4 Coker and regionally ranked No. 10 Mount Olive met in their first Conference Carolinas men’s soccer match on Saturday, it was a battle of the unbeaten, with neither team having lost a match in 2009. At the end of 90 minutes it was the Cobras that remained undefeated thanks to a goal from Tyler Senecal (Mt. Pleasant, N.C.) in the 80th minute, giving Coker a 1-0 victory.
The Cobras James Sweeney (Huntingtown, Md.) and the Trojans Zac Scott (Pittsboro, N.C.) each had five saves on the night.  Sweeney turned aside the majority of the Mount Olive shots in the first half, while Scott was made some unbelievable saves in the second half. 

Coker returns to the pitch in a week when they travel to Due West, S.C., to face Erskine College at 4:30 p.m. Saturday.

Tennis

The No. 1 seed doubles pair of Alyssa Blanchard and Rachel Lemar took on all challengers with ease over the weekend, as the Lady Cobra pair won the Conference Carolinas Individual Championships at the Palmetto Tennis Center in Sumter.

Blanchard (Columbia) and Lemar (London, England) won three straight matches to take the title winning 8-1, 8-4 and 8-2. The 8-2 win in the championship match was over the No.3 seed of Bignon and Rheault from Erskine College.

The championship marks the first Conference Carolinas Individual Championship that anyone at Coker, singles or doubles, has won.

In addition to the great play of Blanchard and Lemar, fellow Lady Cobras Kendall Sigmon (Hilton Head, S.C.) and Stephanie Medley (Sumter, S.C.) played exceptionally well in their doubles tournament. Sigmon and Medley were the No. 8 seed in the B Flight of the tournament and they advanced to the semifinals of the tournament before falling to the No. 4 seed of Brunet and Halbert from Anderson University, 8-1.

“This was a great tournament for our women,“ said Head Coach Alvin Cheng. “They played very well and it was really exciting to have Blanchard and Lemar win the first ever individual championship at Coker.“
Now the Coker women and men prepare for their second tournament of the fall, the ITA Southeast Regional Tournament. The ITA Regional will also be held at the Palmetto Tennis Center, Sept. 18-21.

Coker Now Offers FREE Video Webcasting

The Coker College sports information office is offering free online video webcasts of all home volleyball and men’s and women’s basketball games.

Fans will still need to register with Penn Atlantic in order to access the games. Visit http://www.conferencecarolinas.tv for the latest schedules of upcoming webcasts.

Cobra Baseball to Host Fall Showcase Camp

The Cobra baseball program will hold a Fall Showcase Camp from noon to 5 p.m. Oct. 25 at Tom J. New Field on the Coker College campus for players in grades 8-12. The Coker College Baseball Fall Showcase Camp is a great place for prospective student-athletes to showcase their abilities to area college programs while receiving valuable instruction for enhancing their skills. This camp is not a tryout. Cost: $50.