BALTIMORE, Md. – Norfolk State started its MEAC schedule off right, cruising to an easy win in the fifth set to topple Coppin State by a 3-2 score on Friday evening at the Physical Education Complex.
 
Senior Jessica Johnson tied her career high with 21 kills to propel the Spartans on the first day of the conference season. The teams alternated sets, with NSU winning 25-22 and 25-17 in the first and third stanzas, respectively. In between, the Eagles won the second, 25-15, and then tied the match at 2-2 with a 25-19 victory in the fourth.
 
In the fifth, however, NSU took the first seven points on the way to a 15-4 win. The victory improved NSU's overall record to 2-10 and 1-0 in the conference.
 
Johnson also added 10 digs to complete the double-double and hit .381 for the match. Senior teammate Sydney Dailey did the same, tallying 10 kills and 13 digs to keep CSU winless on the year at 0-15 overall and 0-1 in the MEAC. The victory also broke a five-match losing streak to the Eagles.
 
Junior Melvina Brown led all players with 24 digs, the most by a Spartan player in four years. Freshman setter Jill Aquino gave the Spartans three with double-doubles, as she finished with 33 assists and 14 digs.
 
Johnson proved to be the big catalyst for NSU, adding four kills in the fifth set after CSU had seized momentum. She had all four kills during an opening 8-1 run for the Spartans, which included a 7-0 start. Dailey added two more kills later on to open a double-digit lead that finished at 11.
 
The Spartans won the first and third sets thanks to early leads. In the first, NSU won three straight points on three occasions for an 11-7 edge. The Eagles were within one at 13-12 before the teams traded points. A block by senior Dominique Parker and sophomore Lexi Brown made it 20-16 before CSU made one final run. Dailey finished with five kills in the opening stanza, including two during the last three serves for an early lead in the match.
 
Needing to start off strong in the third, NSU did just that. The Spartans needed that run after CSU dominated the second set. The Eagles scored eight straight in the early going and led by as much as 13. Only a late 7-4 spurt at the end of the set for NSU kept it to within 10.
 
It did allow NSU to come out strong in the third. The Spartans won eight of the first 10 points of the set before the Eagles came all the way back to within one. Several kills from Johnson allowed NSU to pull ahead, and CSU never threatened until winning five of the first seven points of the fourth set.    
 
From there, they slowly pulled ahead and eventually went up by a 19-12 margin. A late gasp cut the Eagle lead to three twice. CSU responded late to tie the match at 2-2 only to falter big time in the final set.
 
Both teams finished with 47 kills, with NSU hitting slightly better at .139 compared to CSU's .112 clip. Asia Stennis (15 kills, 11 digs) and Bailee Jackson (13 kills) led the Eagle attack.
 
Parker added seven kills and three blocks. Johnson had a pair of service aces, helping the Spartans end the night with a 9-4 edge in that category.
 
NSU will face Morgan State on Sunday at 3 p.m. to complete the weekend road trip.