(Courtesy of Jeff Cunningham/Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference)
DOVER, Del., Nov. 18, 2022 – The top seeded Coppin State volleyball team made quick work of South Carolina State in Friday's quarterfinal round of the 2022 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Volleyball Championship, winning 3-0 (25-7, 25-10, 25-15) in Delaware State's Memorial Hall Gym.
Eagles senior Andrea Tsvetanova, the 2022 MEAC Co-Setter of the Year and the NCAA's leader in service aces, tied the NCAA three-set record for aces in a match, racking up 15 to go along with 28 assists and five digs. Her 15 aces was the most by an NCAA Division I player this season.
Tsvetanova quarterbacked a Coppin State offense that hit a season-high .413 for the match. For the season, Tsvetanova now has 105 aces, which is the fourth-most in the NCAA, and most in the MEAC, since 2008 when a 25-point set system was adopted. The 105 aces is also the fourth-most in MEAC history across all scoring systems.
Miajavon Coleman and Ahzhi Coleman combined for 20 kills and no errors, with Miajavon – a First Team All-MEAC selection – recording 11 on .688 hitting and Ahzhi adding nine and hitting .692 to go with a match-high five blocks.
First Team All-MEAC honorees Ashley Roman and Ammaarah Williams led the Eagles (22-9) with seven digs each.
Coppin State took control early, opening the first set on an 11-2 run, then after the Bulldogs cut the lead to 18-7, an Ahzhi Coleman kill kicked off a 7-0 run for Coppin State to close out the set. Tsvetanova had three aces during that run and six for the first set.
The start of the second set was closer, with Coppin leading 9-7. But another 7-0 Eagles run opened the lead to 16-7 before South Carolina State scored the next three points to cut the lead to 16-10. The Eagles answered by scoring the last nine points of the set – including five aces from Tsvetanova and two Miajavon Coleman kills.
The Bulldogs kept it close to open the third set as well, only trailing 9-7 before Coppin State went on an 11-3 run, taking a 20-10 lead on an Ahzhi Coleman kill that all but gave the Eagles the edge.
Coppin State only committed eight errors in the match and held a 22-2 edge in service aces which was the most by any team in any match this season. The Eagles also led 14-4 at the net and held the Bulldogs to just .018 hitting.
