| DATES |
September 18-19, 2026 |
| LOCATION |
Storrs, Conn. | UConn Volleyball Center |
| TEAMS |
Coppin State, UConn, Rhode Island & Merrimack |
| NOTES |
Coppin State |
BALTIMORE – Winners of three-straight, Coppin State's volleyball team heads to the Constitution State for UConn's For The White & Blue Tournament on September 18-19 as well as a tilt at New Haven on Sunday, September 20. At UConn, the Eagles will play the host Huskies on Friday night followed by clashes with Rhode Island (2:30 pm) and Merrimack (6:30 pm) on Saturday. All three matches at UConn will be streamed on
www.uconnhuskies.com
EAGLES DIGEST
- Coppin is in the midst of its 40th season of NCAA volleyball and heads North for UConn's For The White & Blue Tournament on September 18-19. The Eagles will also play at New Haven on the way back home on September 20.
- Coppin went a perfect 3-0 at the Zips Invitational, co-hosted by Akron & Cleveland State last weekend.
Cherisse Atilano (38k/37d) posted three-straight double-doubles while
Ivanna Luna and
Nia Curry added 32 and 31 kills, respectively.
Kayden Cupid led CSU in blocks (13), while
Eva Rovello (12) and
Kendall Minta (10) also finished in double-digits for the weekend.
- In the win over Cleveland State, Coppin hit a whopping .383, setting a school-record for hitting in a 4-set match that stood since 1992.
-
Cherisse Atilano was named MEAC Player of the Week while
Eva Rovello earned Setter of the Week on September 14.
- CSU was picked to win the MEAC in the preseason poll after winning two conference titles over the last three seasons.
Coco Figueroa was named the Preseason Player of the Year while
Cherisse Atilano and
Kayden Cupid were also placed on the Preseason All-Conference Team.
- Head Coach
Tim Walsh enters his 10th season at the helm of the program and is the winningest coach in CSU history with a 149-130 (.534) record. In MEAC play, Walsh's teams have gone 85-32 (.726) over his nine seasons.
- Among the top returners for the Eagles are MEAC First Team selections
Coco Figueroa and
Kayden Cupid along with MEAC Rookie of the Year and Second Team honoree
Cherisse Atilano. Figueroa was also the league's Defensive Player of the Year.
- Since 2022, Coppin has gone an impressive 93-49 (.655) overall and 49-7 (.875) in conference games.
- Junior
Eva Rovello was named the MEAC Setter of the Week after the season's opening weekend at Virginia Tech, averaging 7.54 assists and 2.15 digs to go with 11 kills on .440 hitting.
-
Coco Figueroa earned All-Tournament honors at Navy's KDI Invitational, recording 5.14 digs/set along with 12 assists and 5 aces.She later earned MEAC Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 7.
- The Eagles play its first 15 matches away from the friendly confines of PEC Arena before its home opener on Sept. 29 vs. Loyola.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
UConn enters at 5-5 overall after its 4-match win streak was snapped vs Yale. The Huskies are well-balanced offensively with four players already over 70 kills, led by Sydney Borowy with 2.60/set & Cortney Grayson at 2.31/set. Maja Daca, one of the Nation's leaders in aces, and Helena Einarsdottir average just under two kills. Isabella Sohl has been the team's primary setter and is averaging 8.41 assists. Grayson and Borowy also lead defensively at the net alongside Olivia Grenadier & Jordyn Hughes while Hazuna Akishige anchors the backrow.
The Rams are currently 4-5, coming off a win over Quinnipiac after 5-set losses at Lafayette & Penn. Cara Richter has been the team's top offensive threat with 2.74 kills/set while Emily Sawyer & Havyn Rolle average just under two. KJ Johnson is hitting .319 & ranks third on the team in kills. A trio of setters have put up solid numbers in the 6-2 with Carly Thomas leading the way at just over five assists. Dakota Henry has averaged 4.49 digs w/ Rolle & Richter playing six rotations. URI poses a formidable block, led by Johnson (37), Chloe Abuto (36) & Sawyer (34).
Despite a 0-9 record, Merrimack features a trio of hitters averaging over two kills in Jocelyn Hammerstrand, Mckenna Shotwell & Tamilore Afolalu in an offense orchestrated by setter Sophia Debonis (5.19 assists). Shotwell & DeBonis typically play all six rotations with Ella Maldonado anchoring the back row with 3.44 digs/set. Hammerstrand & Kaitlyn Oxceus lead the block with 16 apiece, followed by Naomi Vajda with 14 & Mia Izzo w/ 12.
New Haven is currently 1-8 with a win over saint Peter's and is playing at the NJIT Invitational this weekend prior to Sunday's match. Lauren Mackellar has been the primary offensive option with 4.10 kills/set with Marley Alefaio racking up an impressive 2.6 per set in an offense quarterbacked by Caroline Johnson (8.52 assists). Four players, including Johnson average over two digs/set with Camryn Harris and Mirella Rederer closing in on three each. Josie Foster has been the top blocker with 31 on the season but six other Chargers have reached double figures in the category.
CSU STORYLINES
Coppin State Volleyball By The Decade
1987-89 13-62 (.173)
1990-99 28-233 (.107)
2000-09 35-252 (.122)
2010-19 90-192 (.319) - Walsh took over in 2017
2020-pres. 120-66 (.645)
40 Seasons 286-805 (.262)
BLOCK PARTY VS. PENN
In the five-set thriller vs. Penn, Coppin broke a school-record with 18 total blocks, led by
Kayden Cupid with nine and
Kendall Minta with eight.
Deviana Walker posted a career-high five blocks, followed by
Eva Rovello with four and
Cherisse Atilano with three.
Date | Opponent Total Blocks
9/5/26 vs. Penn (L, 3-2) 18.0
9/16/23 vs. Portland (W, 3-1) 17.0
9/14/02 vs. Lafayette (L, 3-1) 17.0
PUERTO RICO CONNECTION
Nearly half of Coppin's roster is from Puerto Rico as seven Eagles (
Cherisse Atilano, Andrea Cintron, Pamela De Jesus Tejedor, Karina Diaz, Coco Figueroa, Ivanna Luna & Isabella Ortiz) all list it as their hometown.
HELLO CHERISSE
Sophomore
Cherisse Atilano is a 'starling' in the making as evidenced by her freshman campaign which won her MEAC Rookie of the Year and 2nd Team All-Conference honors. Ranking second in the MEAC with 13 double-doubles to her teammate, Atilano led the league with 49 aces while ranking 8th in kills/set and 7th in both digs/set and points/set. Atilano was also 4th in total digs and 5th in total kills and points.
BIG SHOES FILLED AT LIBERO
Coco Figueroa came to Coppin in 2023, playing behind MEAC All-Time leader in digs,
Ashley Roman, but its safe to say Roman's shoes have been well filled. Earning All-Rookie Team accolades in her first year, Figueroa has been a First Team All-MEAC the last two seasons and was also the MEAC Defensive Player of the Year in 2025. Figueroa now ranks 3rd in CSU history in digs and matches with 20+ digs.
PLAYING CUPID WITH NC CENTRAL TRANSFERS
Coppin has struck gold twice in a row with transfers from N.C. Central, this time with junior middle hitter
Kayden Cupid. In her first year at CSU after picking up All-Rookie Team honors in 2024, Cupid was a 2025 First Team All-MEAC and All-Tournament Team selection, ranking second in the league with 102 total blocks and third with a .313 hitting percentage. This comes after Coppin acquired
Ammaarah Williams from Central in 2022 after she was a 1st Team All-MEAC selection in both 2020 and 2021. Williams was a 1st Team All-MEAC in 2022 and an All-Tournament Team selection at Coppin in 2023.
BREAKOUT SOPHOMORE SEASON
After appearing just 11 sets as a freshman,
Ivanna Luna had a breakout sophomore season with 169 kills and 50 blocks. She came up big on the rightside in several matches, including a career-high 15 kills on 31 swings vs. Maryland. She posted 10+ kills in five other matches, including 11 in a 5-set win over Howard along with a career-high five blocks.
IT MUST RUN IN THE FAMILY
Several Eagles have close relatives who played collegiate sports at the highest of levels.
Nia Curry's father, Ron, was a 1,000 point scorer at Arizona/Marquette and two of her sisters played collegiate volleyball.
Rori Gray's father, Keith, was a four-year starter at American University, helping AU to a 2002 Regular Season Title in its first year in the Patriot League.
Karina Diaz' sister, Kenia recorded 2,200 digs in her career at Judson University and St. Ambrose, and her father, Secundino, played professional basketball in Puerto Rico.
TRADING HAWKS' UNIFORMS FOR EAGLES
Juniors
Eva Rovello and
Pamela De Jesus Tejedor played two seasons together at Hillsborough CC, and the pair will see major playing time this season. Rovello was a First Team All-FCSAA selection at setter while De Jesus earned the same at the pin for the Hawks who finished 13-13 last year. Despite the .500 record, HCC took eventual National Champion Miami Dade College to five sets with De Jesus going for 27 kills and 12 digs in the loss while Rovello put up 55 assists.
TWIN TOWERS
For the first time, Coppin could cause some troubles with their height in the middle. The Eagles brought in a pair of 6-foot-3 transfers in
Rori Gray and
Kendall Minta. Gray was a Conference USA All-Freshman Team selection in 2024 while
Kendall Minta played two years each at both Bradley and Towson. Minta earned Second Team All-Missouri Valley Conference honors in 2023, tallying over 200 kills on .282 hitting and 125 blocks.
2026 MEAC TOURNAMENT
For the second-straight year, Coppin will host the MEAC Tournament from November 20-22. All eight conference teams will participate with four quarterfinals matches on Friday, followed by the semifinals on Saturday and the Title match on Sunday. The winner of the Tournament will earn the league's automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.
