BALTIMORE –
Cindy Okpegbue reached the Coppin State volleyball summit at precisely 3:53 p.m. Eastern Standard Time during a tough 3-2 road setback to Morgan State in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) spine-tingler Sunday afternoon at Hill Fieldhouse.
It was at that moment the affable 5 foot, 8 inch Okpegbue became the all-time school record holder in kills, surpassing former teammate
Ariel Richard, who established the mark of 1,223 last season. A fiercely focused Okpegbue unleashed a swift and vicious onslaught of a match-high 26 kills to raise her career total to 1,245.
"It's one of the goals that I wanted to accomplish during my time here at Coppin State," Okpegbue said. "It's a good feeling to accomplish a goal. I wish we had come out with the win so this is a bittersweet moment."
Okpegbue delivered four kills in the fifth set and had Coppin State within two match points of victory, but it wasn't meant to be for the Lady Eagles who fell 25-23, 19-25, 25-22, 23-25, 15-17. The entertaining match featured 54 ties and 19 lead changes, including 12 ties in the decisive set. Coppin State concluded its 2015 regular season with a 9-14 overall mark and 6-6 conference record.
It was the fifth time in her career, Okpegbue finished with 25 or more kills in a match. It was the 15th time and third straight match she reached the sacred 20-kill mark. The 26 kills are the third most in a single match for Okpegbue, who has reached double-digits in that powerful category 59 times in her career.
In her last three matches, Okpegbue has registered a whopping 74 kills. She has transitioned into a brilliant unstoppable force of nature. The "Turn-Up Squad" nicknamed her "The Hammer" during portions of the match Sunday.
Currently, Okpegbue leads the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) in kills per set (3.78) and points per set (4.28). In addition, the sports medicine major is 80th nationally in points per set, 81st in kills per set and 99th in total attacks.
Okpegbue had some help as freshman
Samantha Polk finished with a career-best 18 kills and a .333 hitting percentage. There were moments during the match where Polk was playing as if she had all of the cheat codes because she was everywhere terminating plays and providing energy.
Polk's had a strong freshman season with 183 kills, which is second on the team. It was the eighth time this season she has had double-digit kills in a match.
Denali Sturgeon and
Bailee Jackson provided eight kills each for the Lady Eagles. Senior setter supreme
Chelsee Sauni notched her eighth double-double of the season with 48 assists and 11 digs despite being in pain for much of the match. Sauni also delivered a season-best four service aces. Glory Rosado was her usual terrific self in finishing with a team-high 12 digs.
Making her first career start, freshman
Megan Lim had eight digs, three assists and three kills.
Meanwhile, Morgan State (12-14, 9-3) had four players with at least 10 kills: Evely Macedo (17), Dinah Jones (16), Arianna Hayden (13) and Samantha Prescott (10). Carmen Fernandez had 60 assists.
Coppin State will meet Southern Division regular season champion Bethune-Cookman in the first round of the MEAC Tournament on Friday, November 20 at 4:00 p.m. The tournament will be held at Maryland Eastern Shore.
