BLACKSBURG, Va. – Coppin State's volleyball team opened the 2026 season with a four-set victory over William & Mary, 25-19, 24-26, 25-17, 25-21, on Friday afternoon at Cassell Coliseum as part of the Hokie Invitational.
The Eagles (1-0) had three players record double-digit kills, led by junior
Pamela De Jesus Tejedor with 13 while
Kayden Cupid and
Cherisse Atilano added 11 apiece.
De Jesus Tejedor hit an impressive .357 for the match while adding an ace, a block and eight digs. Cupid was dominant at the net with a match-high six blocks to go with her 11 kills on a .400 hitting percentage.
Junior setter
Eva Rovello directed the Coppin offense with 33 assists while also recording five kills, nine digs, two blocks and an ace.
Coco Figueroa led the Eagles defensively with ten digs in the back row.
Atilano made her presence felt from the service line with a match-high four aces after leading the MEAC in the category last season while adding six digs.
Deviana Walker chipped in eight kills and two blocks.
As a team, Coppin outhit William & Mary, .224 to .160, while recording advantages in kills (52-42), aces (8-6), assists (40-39) and digs (45-40). The Tribe held a 9-7 advantage in total blocks.
Less than an hour after the conclusion of its season-opening win, the Eagles dropped a five-set match to Kent State, 25-21, 22-25, 27-25, 13-25, 15-12.
Atilano led the attack with a double-double 13 kills on .237 hitting along with 13 digs while De Jesus was just behind her with 12 kills, nine digs, four aces and a pair of blocks. Rovello also notched a double-double with 38 assists and ten digs to go with two aces, three kills and three blocks.
The offense also got contributions from
Ivanna Luna with nine kills, Cupid with eight and Walker with five on .400 hitting.
Figueroa once again led the backrow with 17 digs while
McKenzie Parks paced the block with a match-high five. Cupid added four blocks and Walker followed with three.
Kent State held a narrow advantage in kills (55-54) and hitting percentage (.230-.223) while Coppin recorded more aces (13-7), blocks (11-8) and digs (60-49).
The Eagles return to action on Saturday, August 29 when they face Virginia Tech in a 3pm start on ACCNX.
