BALTIMORE – Coppin State's volleyball team dropped a 3-0 (25-22, 25-20, 25-21) decision to American University in front a record 2,101 fans for Education Day on Wednesday morning at PEC Arena. The loss drops Coppin to 12-3 overall while American improves to 8-6.
Hope Casel and
Laila Ibrahim led CSU with seven kills apiece, followed by
Paola Caten and
TaKenya Stafford with six each.
Andrea Tsvetanova added a season-high four kills and both
Geraldyn Palacios and
Divine Muo had two.
Tsvetanova assisted on 24 of the team's 34 kills and added four aces and nine digs.
Ashley Roman and Stafford led the defense with 12 kills apiece as Ibrahim was credited with a team-high four blocks. American outhit Coppin, .232 to .100.
Set 1
- Coppin started the match extremely hot as Tsvetanova recorded aces on three of the team's first four points before American got on the board.
- Casel combined for a block with Ibrahim and added a kill, sparking another 7-1 run for the Navy & Gold to give them a 11-2 lead.
- American got back into it with four-straight points and pulled within striking distance before eventually tying the score at 21.
- A kill by Caten gave CSU back the lead but American scored four-straight points to take the first set.
Set 2
- American never trailed in the second set and pulled away with a 7-0 run to take a 15-5 lead.
- Caten recorded a pair of kills as Coppin went on a 5-1 run and pulled to within 19-16 with kills from Stafford and Muo sandwiching another ace from Tsvetanova.
- AU came right back with another five-point spurt, but CSU did not go away, with kills from Caten, Ibrahim and Muo before an ace from Roman.
- American then sealed the set with a kill from Holly Hopkins.
Set 3
- The third was close from start to finish with both teams going on mini runs early on.
- Coppin turned a 13-9 deficit into a 14-13 lead with Stafford tallying three-straight aces followed by a kill by Casel.
- After trading points, American took a 21-18 lead before consecutive points from CSU made it a one-point game.
- AU closed the match with four of the final five points.
Up Next: Coppin makes a trip to take on South Carolina State (Sept. 29) and NC Central (Oct. 1) as it hopes to stay atop the MEAC standings.
