Retrievers Sweep Eagles, Coppin Shifts Focus To MEAC

CATONSVILLE, Md. – Coppin volleyball fought valiantly against the UMBC Retrievers, coming up short in three. The Eagles came within a point of stealing the first set but were unable to capitalize and could not recover.
 
The Basics

• Final Score: Coppin State 0, UMBC 3
• Records: Coppin State 4-14 (0-0 MEAC), UMBC 4-11 (0-1 America East)
• Location: Catonsville, MD – UMBC Event Center
• Series History: UMBC Leads 14-2

 
How It Happened
First Set

• A block by Jordan Celestine and Miajavon Coleman gave CSU an early 1-0 lead.
• Three straight Coppin errors (2 attacking, 1 serving) and a 5-1 Retrievers run dug the Eagles into a 13-8 hole before Walsh called timeout.
• An 13-5 Lady Eagles run capped by a Christa Johnson and Lauryn Harrell block, evened the score at 23 apiece.
• The Eagles and Retrievers would trade points for what seemed like an eternity before UMBC's Carmen Freeman sealed an intense 29-27 set one victory with a thunderous kill.
• Coleman was the ring leader for the Coppin attack with seven kills.

Second Set

• UMBC started off hot thanks to Freeman's three points, taking a 4-1 upper hand before a CSU timeout.
• The timeout did little to slow the Retrievers, tacking on eight of the next ten before the Lady Eagles were forced to regroup with a timeout at 12-3.
• Maryland-Baltimore County's lead would rise as high as 14, leaving little doubt in a 25-13 Retriever win
• UMBC was merciless in the attack game, registering 13 kills spread amongst six different Retrievers.
• Marlena Guice was a bright spot for Coppin State in the second set, tabbing four kills and a .444 percentage.

Third Set

• Coppin came out swinging with its backs against the wall, taking a 6-4 advantage via a DeMia Goodard service ace.
• The Eagles momentum ebbed and flowed as the set wore on, as neither side could gain an edge of more than two until a Freeman kill set the score at 16-13 UMBC.  
• The lead would hover between one and three in favor of Maryland-Baltimore County before a Tim Walsh timeout was called at 22-19 UMBC.
• An Eagles attack error sealed a 3-0 series sweep for the Retrievers, finishing the set at 25-20 and sending Coppin State into conference play at 4-14 on the year.

Inside the Numbers

• Marlena Guice more than doubled her kill total for the season as she struck seven kills after having only three coming in to the match.
• With 14 digs against the Retrievers, Chelsie Kolibar has now recorded double-digit digs in six of her last eight matches.
• Four CSU defenders notched double-digit digs to go along with Kolibar, including Guice, Brianna Lang and Rebekka Hauri.
• Jordan Celestine played a consistent role, tallying 5 kills and hitting at a .300 clip.
• Franchesca Reed was extremely efficient for UMBC, hitting an eye-popping .458 and totaling 11 kills.
• CSU's Miajavon Coleman matched Reed with 11 kills to lead the team.

Who's Next?

• CSU starts its conference slate this Friday, traveling to Norfolk State for both schools MEAC opener. First serve will take place at 6 p.m. inside Gill Gymnasium.