DURHAM, N.C. – Coppin State managed NC Central's offensive blows in a 3-1 (28-26, 12-25, 25-15, 25-20) victory on Sunday afternoon at NCCU's LeRoy Walker Complex. CSU's 12-match win streak is the fourth-longest in the Nation behind national powers Nebraska and Pittsburgh, as well as College of Charleston.
Cherisse Atilano posted a team-high 16 kills, followed by
Kendall Minta with ten on .529 hitting to go with six blocks.
Deviana Walker (9) and
Ivanna Luna (8) combined for 17 kills while
Kayden Cupid chipped in with four.
Eva Rovello kept up her league-leading pace with 43 assists along with nine digs, three aces and a kill, orchestrating the attack to a .281 hitting percentage.
Coco Figueroa led the back row with a match-high 26 digs as she closes in on second place in the CSU record books. Fellow defensive specialist
Aya Rawlins was credited with a pair of aces.
Central hit .233 behind a pair of players with 17 kills and double-digit digs and another with eight.
In the opening set, Coppin used a 6-0 run to turn a 5-3 deficit into an 11-6 lead, with Walker and Minta providing kills during the surge. NCCU rallied to take a 24-22 lead, but Cupid delivered back-to-back kills to help force extra points. Luna then gave Coppin a 26-25 lead before the Eagles closed out the 28-26 victory.
NC Central raced out to an early lead again in set two and never looked back but Coppin answered the call in the third. Six-straight points gave Coppin a 13-7 advantage as Atilano sparked the offense with multiple kills. Another later 5-0 run sealed the frame and gave the Navy & Gold a 2-1 lead in the match.
Coppin jumped ahead 4-0 in the fourth, with Minta contributing a kill and a block during the opening surge. After NCCU rallied to take a 9-8 lead, the Eagles answered with a 9-1 run to seize a 17-10 advantage and continued to hold on.
CSU (13-5, 4-0 MEAC) hosts Maryland Eastern Shore on Friday, October 9 before traveling to Delaware State for a 1 pm start on Sunday, October 11. Both matches will air on the MEAC Network.
