NORFOLK, Va. – Coppin State's
Andrea Tsvetanova,
Ashley Roman and
Tim Walsh all picked up major awards as the MEAC announced it's 2023 All-MEAC Volleyball Teams on Thursday night. Tsvetanova was named Setter of the Year, Roman received Defensive Player of the Year honors and Walsh picked up Coach of the Year accolades.
Additionally, Tsvetanova and Roman were joined on the All-MEAC First Team by
TaKenya Stafford and
Geraldyn Palacios while
Laila Ibrahim was placed on the Second Team. Freshman
Coco Figueroa also received All-Rookie Tam accolades.
After sharing Setter of the Year honors last season,
Tsvetanova quarterbacked the league's top offense, ranking first with 9.44 assists per set and 0.59 aces per set as the Eagles hit a league-high .229 with 12.90 kills per set. A redshirt senior from Sofia, Bulgaria, Tsvetanova put up 1.96 digs/set and added 44 kills and 18 blocks. Tsvetanova was a four-time MEAC Setter of the Week this season, recording at least 40 assists in ten matches, including a season-high 59 assists in a victory at NC central where she added 13 assists. She added another 50 assists and ten digs in a victory over Norfolk State which clinched the Regular Season Title. Among her seven double-doubles this season was a 48 assist/17 dig effort against Delaware State.
Tsvetanova ranks first among all active Division I players with 223 career aces in 331 sets (0.67 per set), both of which are school records. She also ranks second in CSU history with 2,953 assists and eighth with 721 digs.
Accomplishing a rare feat,
Roman is now a five-time First Team All-MEAC selection and a four-time Defensive Player of the Year recipient. A redshirt senior from Isabela, Puerto Rico, Roman led the league for the fourth-straight season in digs (422) and digs per set (4.44) while adding 85 assists and 25 aces. Roman recorded over 20 digs in seven matches this season which included a season-high 30 in a win at NC Central and went over double digits 23 times. With her leading the backrow, Coppin ranks ninth nationally in opponents hitting percentage (.147).
Roman is the MEAC's all-time leader with 2,366 digs as she's recorded 50 matches with at least 20 digs and 4.68 digs/set.
Receiving Coach of the Year honors for the third time, and second-straight season at Coppin,
Walsh guided the Eagles to school-records this season in overall wins (24), conference victories (13) and non-conference wins (11). Coppin also matched a program-record with a ten-match winning streak en route to its third MEAC Regular Season Championship in the last four years. In the second match this season, Coppin took a set from nationally ranked Auburn, marking the first time that Coppin took a set from a ranked opponent.
Arguably the top all-around player in the MEAC this season,
Stafford led the Eagles in kills (333), kills/set (3.36) and total points (369.) while ranking second in digs (261) and digs/set (2.64). A sophomore from Los Angeles, Calif., Stafford hit .210 on the season and added 16 aces and 37 blocks. Stafford led the MEAC with ten double-doubles, ranked third in kills/set, fourth in points/set and ninth in digs/set and was the only player in the league to be ranked in both kills and digs.
Stafford was a two-time MEAC Player of the Week, recording double digit kills in 20 matches with a career-high 27 kills and 23 digs in a victory at NC Central. In that match, Stafford became just the second player in CSU history, and the only in the MEAC this season, to record at least 20 kills and 20 digs in the same match. Stafford also had 21 kills in a win over Maryland Eastern Shore where she was credited with a career-high six blocks.
Palacios is receiving All-Conference honors for the first time this season after leading all eligible hitters in hitting percentage (.352) while ranking fifth in total blocks (72). A senior from Medellin, Colombia, Palacios ranked second on the team in kills (196), blocks and blocks/set (0.72) while being the only CSU player to appear in every set. Palacios went for double-digit kills in nine matches this season which included a 12 kills performance with no errors in a win over South Carolina State and another 12 kills on .556 hitting against Norfolk State. She had at least three blocks in 13 matches this season, recording a season-high seven against Delaware State.
In just two seasons at Coppin, Palacios ranks tenth in school history with 155 blocks and second in hitting percentage.
Ibrahim had a breakout sophomore season in 2023, leading the MEAC with 1.06 blocks/set and 99 total blocks while ranking third with a .345 hitting percentage. A sophomore from Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Ibrahim ranks third on the Eagles with 183 kills (1.97 per set) and her 99 total blocks are the second most in a single season by a CSU player. Ibrahim set a school-record when she hit .923 with 12 kills on 13 swings in a sweep at Penn. She also matched a school-record with 11 blocks in a win against Portland, earning UNLV Rebel Challenge All-Tournament Team honors as the Eagles broke a school-record with 17 blocks against the Pilots.
Ibrahim was a two-time MEAC Defensive Player of the Week, had four matches with double-digit kills, including a career-high 13 at Howard, and 19 matches with at least three blocks.
Figueroa played a key role as a defensive specialist this season, ranking fourth on the Eagles with 176 digs (1.91 per set) while adding 23 aces and 22 assists on the offensive end. A freshman from Bayamon, Puerto Rico, Figueroa was credited with at least ten digs in eight matches which included a season-high 17 at NC Central and 13 at Howard.
With Figueroa's selection, Walsh has had at least one All-Rookie Team member with each of his recruiting classes at Coppin.
