BALTIMORE - Kayden Cupid posted a double-double to lead the Coppin State volleyball team to a thrilling, 3-1 (25-21, 25-20, 19-25, 25-21) victory over Delaware State in the MEAC Semifinals on Friday night at PEC Arena. The Eagles (22-11) will play in the Conference Title Match on Saturday night at 5 pm on ESPN+ against either Howard or Maryland Eastern Shore.
A sophomore middle hitter from Supply, N.C., and a First Team All-Conference selection, Cupid matched a season-high with 12 kills on .296 hitting to go with a career-high ten blocks for the first double-double of her career. MEAC Player of the Year,
TaKenya Stafford added 11 kills with four blocks while adding nine digs, just shy of a double-double.
Ayanna Pharoah came up big on the right side, smacking nine kills with five digs and three blocks, while
Ahzhi Coleman added five kills and five blocks, moving into fourth place on Coppin's all-time digs list.
Despite recording just two kills,
Cherisse Atilano was outstanding in the back row, recording a season-high 23 digs to lead all players, followed by MEAC Defensive Player of the Year
Coco Figueroa with 17 digs to go with four aces. The duo, along with the blockers up front who posted a season-high 15.0 blocks, held Delaware State to a .058 hitting percentage.
Azul Pilahg led CSU's setters with 25 assists and seven digs while adding an ace and a rare kill.
Andrea Serrano dished out nine assists and four digs.
After playing exception defense in the first two sets and holding the Hornets to just 16 kills and 17 errors, Coppin dropped the third set despite a valiant comeback attempt.
DSU was in control of the fourth set early on, taking a 6-0 lead and extending the advantage to 11-3. The Eagles cut the deficit to just 14-10 before running off eight-straight points with Cupid recording two kills and a pair of blocks during the stretch.
As the crowd continued to erupt through the run, Coppin's momentum stayed strong as a block from Cupid and Stafford sealed the victory.
