BALTIMORE, Md. – After a brief one-game hiatus from conference play, Coppin State resumes MEAC competition this weekend as it takes on preseason MEAC North favorite Maryland Eastern Shore, and Delaware State. Maryland Eastern Shore will be the opponent for this season's Block Brain Cancer Event on Friday night, with Delaware State coming to the PEC on Sunday afternoon.
What You Need to Know
Coppin Contributors
- Coppin State ranks fourth in numerous categories in the conference including team assists (705), team kills (768), and team service aces (90).
- Miajavon Coleman is the Eagles top scoring threat as she currently places third for points (267.5) and total kills (249) in the MEAC.
- Coleman has reached the double-digit kill mark in nine of her past eleven games, surpassing the 20-kill threshold twice.
- Brianna Lang currently sits at third in the MEAC with 633 assists and has produced five double-doubles on the year.
- Chelsie Kolibar paces the Lady Eagles defensive unit, tallying 213 digs so far, while currently tied for the team lead in service aces with Rebekka Hauri (16).
- Christa Johnson has eclipsed last season's block total (45) with just over a quarter of the season remaining, sitting atop the Eagles leaders with 54.
- The Lady Eagles have already surpassed last season's block total (116) with nine matches remaining in the regular season, hitting 119 through 22 games.
Scouting the Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks
- UMES started slowly to begin the campaign but has gotten off to a much better start during conference play. They have swept Norfolk State and Delaware State, to go along with a loss to Howard.
- The Hawks have produced a significant number of aces, ranking inside the top 35 nationally in aces per set (1.64), good for the third best mark in the MEAC.
- Maryland Eastern Shore has taken advantage of its attacking opportunities, hitting .195 as a team to sit in third place in the conference.
- The Shore is headed by the Preseason MEAC Player of the Year, Lucia Babic. She slots inside the top five for aces per set (0.42), kills per set (3.73) and overall aces (23) in the MEAC, while she presently takes the crown for most points per set (4.45) in the conference as well.
- Babic is a triple threat for the Hawks, leading the squad in kills (205) and blocks (31), to go along with placing second in digs (100).
- Ivana Blazevic tops all UMES players with 374 assists, and Koya Sowells is the digs leader at 152.
Scouting the Delaware State Hornets
- DSU has yet to come into its own during the 2018 season, notching two wins in non-conference play (North Carolina A&T and South Carolina State) and is still searching for its first MEAC victory in its fourth try.
- Aces have been Delaware State's calling card thus far, as they sit inside the top five for aces per set (1.58) and total aces (104) in the MEAC.
- Milexa Cardona is the "ace of spades" for the Hornets, ranking inside the top ten for aces per set (0.36) and the top three in overall service aces (24) for the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.
- Cardona also makes an appearance among the league's assists leaders, averaging 6.59 per set.
- Leimaluhia Taulia is the frontrunner for DSU's defenders, placing eighth in the conference with 226 digs.
- Mayah Ngundam fronts the Hornets in kills (148) and blocks (29) through its first 20 matches.
- Delaware State has two players hitting over .315 on the campaign, Kiera Holtzclaw (.333) and Milexa Cardona (.320).
