MOREHEAD, Ky. – After a heartbreaking 29-27 loss in the first set, Coppin State's volleyball team ran out of gas as it fell in three sets to Marshall University (29-27, 25-10, 25-11) in the opening game of the Comfort Inn-Vitational held at Morehead State University's John Arena on Friday afternoon. CSU played Morehead State tough in the second set later in the day, but were swept by their Eagles counterparts, 3-0 (25-11, 25-23, 25-14)
The Basics
Final Score: Coppin State 0, Marshall 3 / Coppin State 0, Morehead State 3
Records: Coppin State (3-9), Marshall (8-4), Morehead State (8-3)
Location: Morehead, Ky. (Johnson Arena)
Series History: Marshall Leads, 2-0 / Morehead State Leads, 3-0
First Set (Marshall)
- The first set was close from start to finish as the largest lead held by either team was at 19-16 in favor of Coppin after a kill by Lauryn Harrell.
- Harrell's point prompted a Marshall timeout, the only stoppage by either team during the frame.
- MU scored the next three points out of the break to tie the score before Sydney Hicks and Christa John paired for a block to give the Eagles back the lead at 20-19.
- Once again, the Thundering Herd went on a 3-0 run to gain a 22-20 advantage, its first lead since it was 8-6.
- Kills by Hicks and Jordan Celestine kept it tight and facing a set point at 24-22, Miajavon Coleman had back-to-back kills to tie the score at 24 apiece.
- Both teams traded points, but Marshall took the opener, 29-27 after a CSU error and a kill by Destiny Leon.
- Coppin hit an impressive .326 for the frame with a well-balanced attack, led by Coleman's six kills. Hicks recorded four while Celestine and Harrell tallied two each.
- Unfortunately, MU hit even better at .390 for the set as Leon and Joelle Coulter recorded six kills apiece.
Second Set (Marshall)
- Set two was all Marshall as it took a two-set lead with a 25-10 victory. Coppin had just five kills and nine errors in the game to hit -.188 while MU hit .250.
- A 7-0 Thundering Herd run helped the Kelly Green & White pull away before scoring the final four points to take the set.
Third Set (Marshall)
- With the set tied at three after back-to-back Marshall errors, the Thundering Herd went on a 7-1 run to gain a 10-4 advantage and force a CSU timeout.
- Miajavon Coleman tallied a kill right out of the break but MU kept using their size advantage to extend its lead back to seven.
- After another Coppin timeout, Marshall recorded back-to-back blocks and never looked back.
- Coppin hit better in the final set at .074 but still could not contain Marshall who hit .364.
Inside the Numbers (Marshall)
- Miajavon Coleman led the Eagles offense with nine kills while Sydney Hicks recorded eight. Lauryn Harrell and Jordan Celestine added five and four kills, respectively.
- Christa Johnson finished with a team-high four blocks along with three kills, but Harrell was the only other Eagles player with multiple blocks.
- Ashley Roman was credited with a team-high 12 digs, followed by Brianna Lang with six. Lang assisted on 25 of the team's 31 kills.
- Coppin hit .098 for the match while Marshall hit an impressive .343. In the final two sets, CSU hit a -.068.
First Set (Morehead State)
- Morehead State led from start to finish, getting out to an early 6-0 lead to force a timeout.
- Coppin got on the board via a MSU error and followed up with a Christa Johnson kill to pull within, 6-2.
- The four point deficit was as close as the Eagles would get the remainder of the frame as the hosts scored the next four points and never looked back.
Second Set (Morehead State)
- Coppin led from nearly start to finish, leading by as many as 12-7 after a 4-0 run which featured back-to-back kills from Miajavon Coleman.
- MSU battled back with three-straight and eventually tied the score at 17-17.
- After trading points, a pair of Morehead errors gave CSU a 20-18 advantage and Coppin opened a 23-20 lead with kills from Coleman and Jordan Celestine and an ace by Brianna Lang.
- Unfortunately, Morehead State scored the final five points of the frame to win, 25-23, three of which came on blocks.
Third Set (Morehead State)
- The heartbreak in the second set seemed to get t Coppin in the third set as Morehead State once again led from the start.
- MSU scored the first three points before Coppin followed with two-straight on a kill from Miajavon Coleman who also assisted on a block with Christa Johnson.
- Morehead scored another three-straight to go up, 6-2, and pulled away with a 6-0 run midway through the set to take a 14-5 lead.
- Coppin went on a 4-0 run just after to pull within 14-9, but never got closer.
Inside the Numbers (Morehead State)
Up Next: CSU wraps up its trip to the Midwest with a clash with Southeastern Louisiana at 11 am on Saturday, September 21. Coppin then returns home and opens MEAC play when it hosts Delaware State at 7 pm on Friday, September 27. The Eagles also host Maryland Eastern Shore at 3 pm on Sunday, September 29.
