BALTIMORE –
Kendra Ireigbe's stellar and consistent play has drained opponents of their energy this season.
She hasn't brought anybody a purse, truck or mall, but she has supplied plenty of blocks, enthusiasm, kills and leadership through the first three weeks for the Coppin State volleyball team. Ireigbe was named to the Maddie Bingaman all-tournament team last weekend at UMBC after helping Coppin State split a pair of matches.
In helping Coppin State conquer Rider, 3-1, Ireigbe had a career best 16 kills with a .382 hitting percentage. Currently, Ireigbe is one of five Coppin State players who are ranked among the top 10 in various Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) individual statistical categories.
As Coppin State (1-6 overall) prepares to compete in its final regular season tournament at Saint Francis, it is ranked fifth in blocks (1.65 per set) and sixth in hitting percentage (.122) in the MEAC. Coppin State will meet High Point on Friday (4:30 p.m.), Fordham (11 a.m.) and Saint Francis (7 p.m.) on Saturday.
There will be
live stats for every match and full video for the SFU matches. For the neutral site matches, there will be video but it will be a still wide shot of the court. All the video can be found at
necfrontrow.com. There will be no admission charge for any of the matches this weekend.
Averaging 0.96 blocks per set (fourth in the MEAC) and posting a .275 hitting percentage (fifth), the turbo-charged Ireigbe has been as relentless as a mid-summer thunderstorm. Among seniors in the MEAC, Ireigbe leads the conference in blocks per set. She has 257 in her outstanding career.
Senior
Cindy Okpegbue, who recently earned her 1,000th career kill, is fourth in the MEAC in kills per set (3.19) and fifth in points per set (3.56). Senior setter
Chelsee Sauni is fourth in the conference in assists per set (8.54). She needs one more assist to reach 3,200 for her career. Sophomore Glory Rosado is second in the MEAC in digs per set (4.23).
Here's a look at Coppin State's competition this weekend:
HIGH POINT (6-6): The Panthers have been led by senior Annemarie Chin, who is sitting atop the Big South and at sixth in the nation with 5.82 digs per set. Sophomore Haley Barnes has recorded six double-doubles in 11 matches this season. Barnes is second in the Big South with 3.70 kills per set after tallying a career-high 25 against Marshall. HPU leads the league and is 13th nationally with 17.22 digs per set. Junior Greta Griswold is tied for the lead in the Big South with 0.45 aces per set. Freshman Jordan Hefner is eighth in the conference in hitting percentage (.285) and blocks (0.90 per set) – tops among freshmen in both categories.
FORDHAM (5-7): The Rams finished 1-2 over the weekend at UMBC's Maddie Bingaman Memorial Tournament, where they lost in a hard-fought three-set match to UMBC (25-27, 23-25, 20-25) and a four-set match to Morgan State (26-28, 25-17, 16-25, 19-25), before sweeping the Broncs of Rider (25-20, 25-10, 25-22), which allowed Fordham to surpass last year's win total. In the win over Rider, Abigal Konovodoff collected her second double-double of the season with a match-high 25 assists and a team-best 11 digs, while Breanna Jones just missed a double-double with a team-high 11 kills and nine digs.
SAINT FRANCIS (2-10): Hannah Kutny led the team with 18 digs and 10 kills in a 3-0 loss to Wright State last weekend at the Wright State Tournament. She was also named to the Wright State All-Tournament Team. She leads Fordham with 121 kills this season. Lauren Williams (182 assists) and Amelia Metzler (179) have combined for 361 helpers this season for the Red Flash, who have earned wins against Delaware State and Canisus.
WHAT'S NEXT: Coppin State begins MEAC play when it visits Norfolk State next Friday night.
