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One of the top teams in the EIVA will play Coker during the upcoming season.
Coker as part of recently unveiling its 2016 schedule announced it will have a road non-conference match against George Mason on Feb. 12 in the first meeting between the two schools.
This is the second consecutive season that the fourth-year independent program has scheduled non-conference matches against EIVA schools. Coker in its program’s inaugural matches versus the EIVA last year went 0-4 and was swept in all but one of the matches.
Coker under first-year head coach Eric Synder finished last season at 9-18 — the second best record among NCAA Division I-II men’s volleyball independent programs. The Cobras also have a majority of starters returning for the upcoming season, including opposite and the 2015 Independent Player of the Year Artur Cabral.
George Mason ended the 2015 season reaching the EIVA Tournament finals and in the off-season hired Jay Hosack to be its new head coach. Among the starters returning for the Patriots includes setter Brian Negron, the 2015 EIVA Newcomer of the Year.
The Patriots are 8-2 in non-conference home matches against unranked teams during the last two season.
Along with its road match against George Mason, Coker’s 2016 schedules features 11 matches against Conference Carolinas teams. The Cobras were a member of the Conference Carolinas before the entire athletics department opted to leave the Division II conference at the end of the 2012-13 school year.
Coker will also play road non-conference versus Ohio State on Jan. 22. This will be the first meeting between the Cobras and Buckeyes.