ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Despite arguably outplaying the Midshipmen throughout, the Coppin State volleyball team dropped its opener at the Kristen Dickmann Invitational to Navy, 3-1 (25-22, 21-25, 25-22, 25-23) on Friday night at Wesley A. Brown Field House. Both teams now stand at 1-3 on the season.
The Eagles produced a strong offensive performance, recording 61 kills on .231 hitting compared to Navy's 49 kills on .230 hitting. Coppin also held an 8-6 advantage in aces, 58-42 in assists and 63-56 in digs while the Midshipmen out blocked the Eagles, 11-7.
Sophomore
Cherisse Atilano led the Eagles with a match-high 15 kills while adding six digs, two blocks and two service aces. Junior
Kayden Cupid and sophomore
Ivanna Luna each contributed 10 kills, with Cupid hitting .450 on 20 attacks and adding a team-high five blocks.
Kendall Minta just missed double figures with nine kills on .467 hitting and freshman
Nia Curry chipped in with seven kills, five digs and two aces.
Junior setter
Eva Rovello orchestrated the Coppin State offense with 49 assists while also collecting 13 digs for a double-double. Senior libero
Coco Figueroa anchored the defense with a match-high 21 digs and added two service aces.
Andrea Cintron also served a pair of aces.
The Eagles opened the match with a strong start, taking an early 8-2 advantage in the opening set. Navy battled back and eventually pulled even at 18-18 before closing the frame on a 7-4 run to take the first set, 25-22.
Coppin State responded in the second set, hitting an impressive .361 with 18 kills and just five errors. The Eagles built an early lead and maintained control throughout the frame, tying the match with a 25-21 victory.
Navy edged Coppin State in another tightly contested third set. The Eagles held a late 21-20 advantage before the Midshipmen scored five of the final six points to take the set, 25-22.
The fourth set featured another back-and-forth battle, with the Eagles refusing to go quietly. Coppin State held a 20-18 lead before Navy rallied to take a 24-21 advantage. A kill by Atilano and a Navy attack error brought the Eagles within one, but Navy secured the match with a 25-23 victory.
Coppin State returns to action Saturday with two matches to close out the Kristen Dickmann Invitational. The Eagles face Penn at 11 a.m. before taking on Stony Brook at 7 p.m.
