WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Coppin State volleyball team dropped a 3-1 decision to Howard University in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Northern Division match at Burr Gymnasium Sunday afternoon.
Howard (18-9 overall) claimed its 10th straight victory and assured itself of at least a share of the Northern Division regular season title by winning 25-13, 25-16, 26-28, 25-18.
For the second consecutive match,
Ariel Richard led Coppin State in kills with 12. She averaged 14 during the Eagles' season ending road trip to NJIT and Howard.
Kandace Thomas added 10 kills, a team-high four blocks and a .321 hitting percentage for the Eagles, who finished the regular season with a 13-13 overall record.
It's the first time in the 27-year history of the program that Coppin State finished the regular season with a .500 or better record.
Other key standouts for Coppin State were
Gabrielle Otero (17 digs) and
Chelsee Sauni (38 assists). As a team, the Eagles finished with 42 kills. Coppin State did overcome a 21-15 deficit to claim an exciting third set victory. Richard had six of her kills in the third set as Coppin State staved off two match points to force a fourth set.
Pacing a balanced Howard were Assata Conway and Khalia Donaldson with 11 kills each. Donaldson also had 11 digs for Howard. Overall, five Bison players had at least seven kills. Stephanie Shultis, who had a .571 hitting percentage, had 42 of Howard's 53 assists. Allyson Lods had 17 digs.
Coppin State will be the third seed from the Northern Division and open the 2014 MEAC tournament at home against the second seed from the Southern Division, most likely Bethune-Cookman on Friday, Nov. 21 at 10:00 a.m. The MEAC office will release complete tournament pairings at a later date.
