BALTIMORE – TaKenya Stafford recorded a career-high 21 kills and six blocks as Coppin State's volleyball team was victorious over MEAC rival Maryland Eastern Shore, 3-2 (25-13, 22-25, 25-14, 25-27, 15-8) in its home opener on Sunday afternoon. The Eagles (12-2, 2-0 MEAC) have won four-straight matches while the Hawks fall to 8-6 overall and 1-1 in league play.
Stafford swung .250 from the pin on 48 swings while falling just short of a double-double with eight digs. Her 21 kills surpassed the 20 she had as a member of Eastern Illinois University at Belmont on October 15, 2021.
Geraldyn Palacios and
Hope Casel had ten kills apiece, followed by
Paola Caten and
Laila Ibrahim with seven kills each. Palacios and Ibrahim matched Stafford with a match-high six blocks as well.
Andrea Tsvetanova assisted on 43 of the team's 58 kills as Coppin outhit UMES, .209 to .046. She was credited with a pair of aces, five digs and two blocks.
Ashley Roman led all players with 21 digs while
Andrea Serrano tallied ten and Caten added eight more.
Coco Figueroa finished with four aces, five digs and a pair of kills from the backrow.
Nkemjika Ikemefuna led the Hawks with 14 kills and four aces.
Set 1
- Coppin never trailed in the opening set, using an early 4-0 run on a kill from Casel and block by Palacios and Tsvetanova to lead, 11-5.
- After a UMES timeout, the Eagles extended their lead to eight points before going on a 7-2 spurt with two kills each from Caten and Casel.
- The Hawks faced set-point at 24-12 before calling a timeout, and after a BHE, Caten finished the set with a kill.
- CSU hit .281 in the set while holding UMES to -.135 hitting.
Set 2
- The second set featured nine ties as CSU made the first run to take a 10-7 lead on a kill from Palacios.
- UMES battled back to tie the score at 11, forcing a Coppin timeout and both teams traded points for several rallies.
- The Hawks built a 22-19 lead with a 4-1 run before Coppin got back to within one after a kill from an Ibrahim and a UMES error.
- Back-to-back Hawk kills gave them a 24-21 advantage, and after a block from Palacios and Stafford, the Eagles made an error to hand UMES the frame.
Set 3
- Stafford dominated the third set with seven kills on ten swings while not committing an error.
- With the score tied at four, Coppin answered with six of the next seven points to double up the Hawks, 10-5 and force a visitor timeout.
- Stafford recorded a pair of kills and a block after the first stoppage as Coppin built an 18-10 lead and finished the set with back-to-back kills.
Set 4
- UMES evened the match up at 2-2 in a set that looked identical to the second with nine ties and three lead changes.
- Coppin held a three-point lead at various times and let the Hawks back into it as UMES took a 22-21 advantage following four-straight Eagles errors.
- CSU made another error after a timeout but managed to tie the score at 24 and 25 before the Hawks prevailed to force a deciding set.
Set 5
- Casel and Stafford both had three kills in the fifth set as Coppin started the frame with five-straight points.
- The Hawks got on the board with a kill before the Eagles scored the next six points with Ibrahim recording a kill and a pair of blocks.
- Tsvetanova delivered her second-straight ace after the second UMES timeout to make it a 12-1 lead before the Hawks battled back with four-straight points.
- Stafford and Casel had back-to-back kills to go up 14-6 and Casel clinched the match with another kill.
Up Next: Coppin hosts American University for an Education Game on Wednesday, September 27 in a 11:00 am start. Approximately 3,000 students from local elementary and middle schools are expected to be in attendance.
