CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Queens volleyball got the inspiration they were looking for when hundreds of fans packed Ovens Athletic Center Friday for Parent's Night against Coker College. The Royals played off of the compact crowd and swept the Cobras 25-19; 25-22; 25-17.

“We had an incredible crowd here tonight at Ovens and especially want to thank Royals swimming Head Coach Jeff Dugdale and his teams for being such incredible supporters at the match," said head coach Angela McGuire.
 
"The entire crowd made it a tough environment for any team to come in and play us tonight. I'll give Coker credit – they battled each point and put forth a great effort.

The Royals picked the Cobras apart with balanced attack, as five played tallied 4-plus kills. Making the most of her opportunities was freshman Anna Gibbs (Hickory, N.C., Hickory), who tallied five kills on 11 attempts to hit a team-high .273 while adding a match-high five blocks (three solo, four assists).

The first set seesawed until the Royals took advantage of a few Cobra errors to take a 21-17 lead. Molly Brookhart served the Cobras within three points before Queens' defense came up with a major stop to end the rally. Leading 23-19, Alexa Sparrell (Winter Park, Fla., Winter Park) put the Cobras on their heels with a pair of violent serves to put the set away.

The second set featured a more aggressive Coker attack that fought relentlessly to tie the game at 22. After another solid defensive stop, leading 23-22, the Royals subbed in freshman libero Jocelyn Kellinger (Roanoke, Va., Cave Spring) to serve the remaining two points.

After finding themselves down 16-17 in the third set, the Royals turned to Kellinger for another boost from behind the line – and she provided just that as she served out the balance of the game to take the set 25-17. The Cobras made a variety of efforts to stall the Royals offense -- even calling a pair of time outs during the run -- but were ultimately unable to solve their attack.

Snapping a four-game skid, McGuire is proud her girls persevered through the difficult stretch.

“It was great to see our team push through a tough mid-season slump with this win.

With the win, the Royals improve to 3-3 in the Conference Carolinas and match their 2009 conference win total.

"I feel great knowing that these girls can put their minds on something and finish."

The Royals will take a week off before resuming conference play against Limestone College (1-3, 3-8) at the Oven on Friday October 1st.