PEMBROKE – The UNC Pembroke volleyball squad made quick work of Fayetteville State in its first match on Saturday at the UNCP Invitational, but the Braves' comeback attempt against Coker in the nightcap fell just a few points short after erasing a 2-0 deficit with victories in sets three and four.

MATCH 1
Score: UNC Pembroke 3, Fayetteville State 0 (25-14, 25-23, 25-18)
Records: UNC Pembroke (2-5); Fayetteville State (0-3)
Location: Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court

HOW IT HAPPENED
Box Score/Play-by-Play

FIRST SET
-The Braves took control early with the first four points of the set and extended their lead with a 5-0 run midway through that put the hosts up 20-8.
-Sophomore Savannah Bean logged a pair of kills to account for the last two UNCP points of the 25-14, first-set victory.

SECOND SET
-Fayetteville State led 12-11 and the set was tied as late as 17-17, but a 3-0 UNCP run put the Braves up 20-17 and the Broncos were unable to pull even again.
-Sophomore Kaila Crowder ended the second set with a pair of kills to put the Black & Gold up 2-0 in the match.

THIRD SET
-Once the Braves took a 6-2 lead on a kill from Amber Tyndall, Fayetteville State did not get closer than three for the remainder of the set, as UNCP closed the match with a 25-18 triumph.

NOTABLES
-UNCP's .257 attack percentage was its highest of the season and would have been the third-best clip in all of 2017. The Broncos hit just .028, including a negative mark in the first set.
-Crowder and Shannon Skryd each tallied a match-high 11 kills for the Braves, while Bean tacked on eight kills and four blocks.
-Bailee Jones dished out 41 assists and Anna Heinz picked up 21 digs at libero.
-Freshman Ashley Caesar hit a match-best .714 (five kills on seven attempts) for the Black & Gold.

MATCH 2
Score: UNC Pembroke 2, Coker 3 (22-25, 22-25, 25-18, 27-25, 13-15)
Records: UNC Pembroke (2-6); Coker (7-1)
Location: Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court

HOW IT HAPPENED
Box Score/Play-by-Play

FIRST SET
-Coker used a 6-0 run to take an 8-4 lead and closed the stanza with four-straight points after UNCP had taken a 22-21 lead thanks to a block by Crowder and Bean.

SECOND SET
-The Braves once again led late, this time a 22-20 edge, but the Cobras rattled off five-consecutive points to win the set 25-22 again.

THIRD SET
-Down 2-0, UNCP responded with six of the first seven points in the third set and cruised to a 25-18 victory, capped off by a Crowder kill.

FOURTH SET
-A close set went the Braves' way in the fourth, as UNCP erased two Coker match points at 24-23 and 25-24.
-The Black & Gold turned the 25-24 deficit into a 27-25 victory after two Cobra errors and a block from Crowder and April Tankersley.

FIFTH SET
-UNCP was just five points from victory at 10-8, but Coker used a 4-0 run to turn the two-point deficit into a two-point lead at 12-10.
-The Braves knotted the set at 13-13 with kills from Crowder and Aquia Jones, but Coker's Taylor du Bray logged two-straight kills to send the Cobras home with a five-set victory.

NOTABLES
-UNCP's 71 kills are its most in a match since Nov. 1, 2014 when the Braves had 72 in a five-set match against Georgia College.
-The Braves held advantages over Coker in kills (71-61), assists (65-58) and digs (92-82).
-Crowder's 18 kills are a career high and the most for a UNCP player since Nicole Matthews' 23 kills on Sep. 4, 2015 against Belmont Abbey.
-Bailee Jones' 55 assists easily eclipsed her previous career best and are the most in a match for a UNCP player since Sabrina Gonzalez had 59 on Nov. 1, 2014 against Georgia College.
-Aquia Jones (17) and Ashley Caesar (15) each set new career standards in kills, while Skryd logged another double-double with 10 kills and 11 digs.
-Five Braves tallied at least 11 digs, led by 22 from Anna Heinz. Bailee Jones added 20 digs to her 55 assists to pick upa double-double.

UP NEXT
The Braves make their second trip of the young season to Florence, South Carolina on Friday, this time for the FMU Invitational. UNCP will open the day with a noon bout against Newberry (3-1) before taking on Lenoir-Rhyne (4-0) at 4 p.m. at the Smith University Center. The Black & Gold returns home September 8 with a contest against St. Andrews at 1 p.m. at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court.