WASHINGTON, D.C. – A season-high ten kills from
Sophia Bertotti Metoyer were not enough as the Coppin State volleyball team dropped a 3-0 decision (25-16, 25-20, 25-23) on Wednesday afternoon at Bender Arena. Coppin fell to 2-2 on the season while AU remained perfect at 5-0.
A redshirt senior from Spokane, Wash., Bertotti Metoyer hit .400 on 20 swings while adding an ace and a pair of digs. She was followed offensively by
TaKenya Stafford and
Gabriela Zuquelo with seven kills apiece,
Ayanna Pharoah with six,
Payton Swinton with four and
Deviana Walker with two.
Kahea Carvalho saw the bulk of the time at setter and finished a dig shy of a double-double, recording a career-high 21 assists to go with three kills and an ace.
Azul Pilahg added six assists and three digs, helping Coppin to a .168 hitting percentage.
Coco Figueroa posted a match-high 13 digs with fellow libero
Alessia Gallo adding eight.
McKenzie Parks had a pair of blocks to lead the Navy & Gold, but American hit .298 with seven blocks.
Coppin led early in the opening set before American scored six-straight points to go up, 13-9. After trading points, AU pulled away with a 6-1 run.
American scored six of the first eight points of the second set, but Coppin battled back to tie the score at six with three-straight kills and an ace by Figueroa. AU looked to be in control, taking an 18-13 lead, but Coppin did not go away, cutting the deficit to 20-19 with three more kills and another ace from Figueroa. American took the set by going on a 5-1 run to close the frame.
CSU led for most of the third set, leading by as many as 13-9 following a fill from Carvalho off a pass by Figueroa. American rallied to take a 17-16 lead but it was short-lived as Coppin regained the advantage at 23-22. The hosts tied the score on a CSU error and got back-to-back kills for the winner.
Coppin will head to Pittsburgh for the Chick-fil-A Robinson Classic, co-hosted by Robert Morris and Duquesne on September 6-7. CSU will face the Colonials and Dukes at 11 am and 6 pm, respectively, on Friday, before battling Niagara in a neutral-site matchup at 12 pm on Saturday.
