NEWARK, Del. – Coppin State's volleyball team opens its season at the University of Delaware Classic, hosted by the Blue Hens on August 30-31. The Eagles will take on Binghamton University in the opening match on Friday at 4 pm with matches against West Virginia and Delaware on Saturday at 11 am and 7 pm, respectively.
The Eagles will be back in action the following day as they host Siena at 5 pm on Sunday, September 1.
Weekly Schedule
Aug. 30 vs. Binghamton
Friday, August 30 – 4 pm
Live Stats
Aug. 31 vs. West Virginia
Saturday, August 31 – 11 am
Live Stats
Aug. 31 at Delaware
Saturday, August 31 – 7 pm
Live Stats |
Live Video
Sept. 1 vs. Siena
Sunday, September 1 – 5 pm
Season Outlook
Despite having the youngest team in the Nation last year with 11 freshman, head coach
Tim Walsh guided the Coppin State volleyball team to one of its best season's in program history and earned a trip to the MEAC Tournament for the first time since 2015. The Eagles return virtually its entire roster in 2019, including All-Conference performer
Miajavon Coleman, and look to build on that momentum to soar even higher in the conference standings.
A sophomore from San Antonio, Texas, Coleman had one of the best seasons in program-history as a freshman as she became the first Eagles player to be named the MEAC Rookie of the Year. Coleman's name was plastered all over the MEAC league leaders I several offensive categories as her 415 kills led the conference and was the third-most in CSU history.
While Coleman should still be the focal point of the offense, Coppin showcases a variety of options up front.
Asia Stennis returns for her senior season after tallying a career-high 306 kills as a junior, along with
Lauryn Harrell who added another 153 kills. The Eagles will also look to
Sydney Hicks to improve on a solid freshman season as she was one of the more impressive players during the Spring.
Back to quarterback the offense is sophomore
Brianna Lang who was an All-Rookie Team selection in 2018 after becoming just the second Eagles player to record 1,000 assists in a season. Ranked third in the MEAC in assists, Lang set a school-record with 64 assists against North Carolina Central while also ranking second on the team with 237 digs.
Coppin also returns its top seven blockers from last season with senior
Christa Johnson and sophomore
Jordan Celestine leading the way. The duo combined for 164 blocks last season with Johnson's 91 being the third-most in school-history.
In the back row,
Chelsie Kolibar returns for her sophomore season after leading the team with 323 digs which also ranked amongst the MEAC leaders. She was also one of the team's leaders with 22 aces with
Aislynn Weaver (27), Lang (26) and
Rebekka Hauri (25) sitting just above her in the category.
Also returning for their second years with the program are
DeMia Goddard and
Khala Cameron, both of whom add depth on both sides of the ball as they are capable of playing in either row.
Coach Walsh, who enters his third season at Coppin, also brought in a trio of newcomers in freshmen
Paola Caten and
Ashley Roman, and junior
Salma Gonzalez who transferred in from Savannah State.
An outside hitter from Tampa, Fla., Caten has volleyball in her veins as her mother was an All-American at Kansas, while Roman, a defensive specialist from Isabela, Puerto Rico, will push for a starting spot in the back row. Gonzalez was a setter and outside hitter for the Tigers in each of her seasons as she led the team in assists and was among the leaders in kills a year ago. She offers a lot of versatility as she recorded a pair of triple-doubles last season.
