BAY MINETTE, Ala. - In front of a rowdy home crowd on Wednesday night, Sept. 17, the Coastal Alabama - South Coyotes hosted their fellow Coyotes in Coastal Alabama - North and rallied for a dramatic five-set victory over their sibling school, halting the Coastal - North's seven-match winning streak in the process. After dropping the first set and being down 2-1 late in the match, Coastal - South rallied with a 3-2 triumph (13-25, 25-22, 29-31, 25-19, 15-11) to improve to 5-11 overall on the season and 2-2 in the ACCC.
Instant Classic in Bay Minette
After dropping the opening set in lopsided fashion, Coastal - South answered with a gritty second frame to even the match, 1-1. The third set turned into a classic battle, with Coastal - North just edging out a marathon 31-29 win to regain control of the match. However, the South Coyotes refused to fold, seizing momentum in the fourth and carrying it into a decisive fifth, where they pulled away late to close the match and earn what some consider an upset win over a team who sit tied for first in the ACCC Volleyball South Division standings.
Coastal - South was led offensively by Ella Kyker, who powered the attack with 16 kills on a .345 hitting percentage. Kyker put the final dagger in the North Coyotes with the final kill of the match. Meanwhile, Chloe Collison put together her best performance of the season with 14 kills, with her hitting line sitting at .243 on the night. As a team, Coastal - South came away with 54 total kills and hit .201 during the big win.
Other contributors included setter Anna Musgrove, who orchestrated the offense with 25 assists and chipped in 14 digs. Maggie Shorter followed Musgrove with 16 assists and led the Yotes with six service aces, while libero Sophie Sanchez anchored the defense with a team-high 18 digs. Anique Self put together a solid all-around performance on Wednesday, tallying nine kills, three aces, and 15 digs. The team as a whole managed 87 digs and 16 aces on the night.
Home Stand Continues on Thursday
Coastal Alabama -South will look to build on the statement win when they return to action on Thursday, Sept. 18, hosting Lurleen B. Wallace Community College (Ala.) at 5:00 p.m. CT. Thursday's match will be played at Jack Robertson Arena in Bay Minette, Ala. and will be broadcasted live on JockJive.com.
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