BREVARD, N.C. - Near-record-setting nights from both Rachel Ruble and Erin Barr propelled the Tornados to a four-set win over Coker, giving Brevard its first win of the season in conference play.
Ruble finished with 17 kills, three off her career high set against Coker (2-3, 0-3 SAC) last season, and committed just three errors in 25 attempts to hit .560 on the night. It was the fifth-highest attack percentage in Brevard's (2-5, 1-2 SAC) NCAA-era history and the second-highest of the sophomore's career.
Barr set a career high with 51 assists, topping her previous career high of 50 set against Lincoln Memorial one week ago. She had the third-highest assist total in Brevard's NCAA-era history, five off the mark set by Kayla Hanus at Mars Hill in 2012. She also recorded her fourth double-double of the young season with 11 digs.
Fatima Gharachorloo, Brevard's NCAA-era kills leader, came within two digs of her own career high and added 15 terminations to finish second for the Tornados. As a team, Brevard ended the evening with 60 kills, tied for third-most in a four-set match in the NCAA era. The team also hit an even .200, marking the second time this season it has had an attack percentage of .200 or better. Brevard allowed Coker to hit just .056, a season low among Tornados' opponents.
While the Tornados dominated the stats sheet in several areas, the Cobras had a tremendous day on the block. Coker totaled 10.0 team blocks on the evening, led by five from Alexis Berles and four from Shealynn Miller.
Brevard never trailed in a first set that the Tornados took 25-20 before putting together a masterful second-set performance. Brevard hit .321 with 14 kills in the second frame, while allowing the Cobras to hit -.029 with seven kills and eight errors. The Tornados led throughout, jumping to an early 9-2 lead and never relinquishing control. Ruble was virtually unstoppable, totaling seven kills in eight attempts without an error in the set.
The Cobras rebounded to earn a hard-fought 25-23 win in a third set that saw 10 ties and five lead changes. The lead changed hands numerous times in the early going before the Cobras raced out to a four-point lead on a Tornados' attack error. Brevard regained the lead at 20-19 on a Gharachorloo kill and again led two points later after a Ruble termination, but the Cobras closed the match on a 5-2 run to force a fourth set.
In the final set, however, the Tornados were again the dominant team. Brevard trailed by as many as three points in the early going before taking the lead for good on a Ruble block that made the score 10-9. The Tornados would close the set on a 15-5 run to earn their first South Atlantic Conference win of the season.
Brevard returns to action tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. in a showdown with 23rd-ranked Wingate, which outlasted Brevard last season in a four-set thriller at Boshamer Gymnasium.
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Featured image courtesy of Neil Hayes. Click here to view more photos by Neil.
