NORFOLK, Va. – Norfolk State's upset bid against Coppin State came excruciatingly close to an upset over Coppin State, but the Eagles survived 3-2 on the road.
Coppin State (18-8, 9-1 MEAC) stayed atop the MEAC standings on Friday night, escaping from Echols Hall with a 25-18, 19-25, 16-25, 25-23, 15-9 over NSU (5-14, 5-4) at Gill Gymnasium.
Carla Hernandez posted a 16-kill, 10-dig double-double, while
Shonte Seale added 13 kills and two blocks.
Nicole Rodriguez led the team with 14 digs and
Sydney McCree totaled 36 assists to bypass the 500-mark on her freshman season.
Coppin State used an 8-1 run in the first set to set the tone early. Back-to-back kills from Hernandez and a McCree ace helped close the gap marginally, putting the Spartans within three points.
Defensive specialist
Myleah Carter added two more kills from the back row, finishing with a career-high of three, to keep the set competitive, but it wasn't enough. Coppin State drew first blood in what would be a marathon match, going up 1-0.
NSU showed poise though, staying disciplined in the second set. As the teams traded points looking for a breakthrough,
Adlene Jideofor provided a spark with a kill from the middle. The putaway started a 6-0 NSU run, capped off by an emphatic rejection by Jideofor and McCree.
The Spartans ensured CSU wouldn't take back the momentum, getting a boost off the bench from
Siera Jones. The Spartans won three straight points on the senior's serve, including one from an ace. With an eight-point cushion, the team closed out the second set comfortably.
Coppin State looked ready to return the favor in the third game, jumping out to a 5-2 advantage. But with NSU keeping things tight,
Paola Maradei gave NSU the lead off Rodriguez's assist.
The Spartans dominated the rest of the set, winning three points on Maradei's serve before adding another three on Hernandez's.
Alondra Hernandez provided the serves on the final run, helping NSU take the final five points of the set.
After falling behind 7-4 in the fourth game, CSU kept the match tight with a 5-1 burst. Seale racked up four kills in the set to put NSU in prime position, but the Eagles ended the game on a 7-2 run to send the match to a fifth set.
Coppin State regrouped quickly from a service error on the first point of the final game, keeping NSU's hitters in check. A .318 hitting percentage in the fifth set fueled Coppin State to its fifth straight victory.
Norfolk State returns to Gill Gymnasium on Sunday at 1 p.m. for Senior Day against Howard, the defending MEAC Champions.
