Coppin Begins Season on Historic Note
PHILADELPHIA – The Coppin State volleyball team started the 2014 season with a bang by beating New Jersey Institute of Technology, 3-0, and Loyola, 3-1, on the first day of the La Salle University tournament at Tom Gola Arena.
The talented Eagles are 2-0 for the first time in the 27-year history of the volleyball program. In beating NJIT to start the day by scores of 25-23, 25-20, 25-19, the Eagles accomplished something special. It was the first time that CSU had won a season-opening match in program history.
Coppin followed that effort up by beating crosstown rival Loyola, 25-21, 25-19, 24-26, 25-17. The Eagles used a collective team effort to slow down the Greyhounds for the second consecutive year. They got a match-high 20 kills from Cindy Okpegbue, who also had the same amount in the opening contest against NJIT. Okpegbue also had 19 digs to lead CSU against Loyola.
Averaging 5.71 kills per set for Coppin during the two matches, Okpegbue highlighted an offensive attack that registered 97 kills in the two wins. Coppin State averaged 48.5 kills per match in its sparkling season debut.
Ariel Richard finished with 15 kills for the Eagles against Loyola. Junior setter Chelsee Sauni concluded her day by collecting 42 assists. That total was the perfect complement to the 38 she registered in the win over NJIT. Sauni accounted for 89.8 percent of the Eagles’ 89 overall assists.
Sauni is one of the best setters in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and she had a performance that backed it up. After enjoying 19 matches with at least 30 assists last season, Sauni picked up where she left off by increasing her career total to 1,886 helpers following her combined total of 80 against NJIT and Loyola.
For complete story, visit www.coppinstatesports.com
Strakova, Kraskura Lead Volleyball Past Bradley in Five
CHICAGO – Seniors Vendula Strakova and Krista Kraskura provided plenty of offense Friday evening, as the Hampton University volleyball team edged Bradley 3-2 (24-26, 25-13, 25-17, 21-25, 15-13) in McGrath-Phillips Arena to open the DePaul Invitational.
Strakova (Brno, Czech Republic), the MEAC Preseason Player of the Year, led the team with 25 kills, hitting .340 and recording two aces, while Kraskura (Kuldiga, Latvia) chipped in 18 kills while also tying the team high in digs with 12.
The Lady Pirates (1-0) have won five of their last seven five-set matches dating back to last season.
The deciding set was a tight affair, with one lead change and five times, before Strakova had a kill and an ace from senior Kitija Megne (Kuldiga, Latvia) gave the Lady Pirates a 10-8 lead. Later, Strakova and redshirt freshman Kennedy Kenney (Milpitas, Calif.) paired on a block to put Hampton up 12-9.
For complete story, visit www.hamptonpirates.com
Bethune-Cookman Drops Two At FAU
BOCA RATON, Fla. – Bethune-Cookman’s 2014 volleyball season opened with 3-0 losses to host FAU and Stetson at the FAU Invitational Friday afternoon.
The host Owls took a 25-7, 25-19, 25-14 decision in the season opener for both teams, then the Lady Cats (0-2) fell 25-20,25-19,25-22 to Volusia County rival Stetson in the nightcap.
Junior Rhea Simon had 22 kills for the Lady Cats on the day, including a career-high 15 against Stetson. Setter Hazel Ortiz Rosado, a Junior College All-American last season, finished the day with 37 assists, 14 digs and four service aces. Freshman libero Rechez Lindsay had 16 digs on the day.
Against Stetson, B-CU saw an early 8-3 lead in the second set fade. Stetson (2-0) took an 11-10 lead and held off after the Lady Cats used a three-point run to close to 19-17.
For complete story, visit www.bcuathletics.com
JMU Tops NSU to Open 2014 Season
NORFOLK, Va. - James Madison used some dominant blocking and hit better than .300 as the Dukes swept the Norfolk State volleyball team, 3-0, on Friday night at the JMU Classic.
In the season opener for both teams at JMU's Sinclair Gymnasium, the Dukes came away with wins of 25-13, 25-15 and 25-17 over the three-set match. James Madison hit .360 with 12 blocks and forced the Spartans into 28 attack errors.
Lizzy Briones was a force at the net for the Dukes, finishing with 10 blocks and nine kills.
Junior Janay Frazier led NSU with eight kills. Junior Jessica Johnson added seven and freshman Hope Forsythe totaled six kills in her collegiate debut.
For complete story, visit www.nsuspartans.com
Hawk Volleyball Goes 1-1 on Friday at the Hawks Holiday Hulabuloo
PRINCESS ANNE, Md. – The new and improved version of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore volleyball team, along with the return of Head Coach Toby Rens, lived up to expectations on Friday as UMES went 1-1 in its first two games at The Hawks Holiday Hulabuloo. UMES fell to Weber State, 3-1, in the opener, but came back to sweep the nightcap over Farleigh Dickinson, 3-0. The win in the nightcap was the first for a Hawk outfit against a non-Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference opponent in its past 16 tries, a span dating back to September 2012.
Senior Ksenia Sukhareva (Moscow, Russia) led the charge for UMES against FDU with a game-high 15 kills. She was one of two Hawks with double-digit kill totals as junior Ashley Smith (Huntley, Ill.) totaled 10 kills and six digs. Despite the strong play of the two outside hitters, it was the effort of freshman Kirstin Fink (Tucson, Ariz.) and sophomore Precious Manu (Carson, Calif.) that proved to be the difference. The pair combined to have 35 assists and 11 digs in the win.
UMES (1-1) raced out to a 5-1 lead in the first set, before FDU scored seven of the games next 11 points. The match was a back-and-forth affair for the remainder of the set as the two teams were knotted up at 22. It was a late push by the Hawks, who used three consecutive points capped by a kill by freshman Alana Polk (Houston, Tex.) to take a 1-0 lead in the contest.
The Hawks led from start to finish in the second game as women used four different 3-0 spurts to take a 2-0 lead. It was a much different ballgame in the third set as the Knights controlled play for over half of the frame. Down 17-11, UMES scored six of the game’s next seven points bring it to within one, 19-18. A balanced effort was seen the rest of the way as the Hawks continued to apply the pressure and scored eight of the next 10 points, including the last four, to run away with their first victory of the year.
For complete story, visit www.umeshawks.com
NCAT Volleyball Drops Two at Holiday Inn Classic
Terre Haute, Ind. – The North Carolina A&T volleyball team may not have gotten the 2014 season off to a winning start but saw some good things early in Friday’s season-opener at the Holiday Inn Classic hosted by Indiana State.
The Aggies fell 3-2 (25-23, 20, 22, 25, 11) to Chicago State (1-0) Friday morning and dropped a 3-0 (21, 15, 21) decision to Wright State (1-1) at ISU Arena later in the evening.
A&T put up a tough fight in the five-set dual but found it hard to connect at the net. After being down 22-21 in the first set, A&T scored the next three points to regain the lead. Chicago State responded to the Aggies’ charge and registered the next point but junior Brooke Stamnes handed down a kill from sophomore Liz Martino to win 25-23.
CSU jumped out early in the second set and put together several runs which the Aggies were unable to respond. Chicago State went into the break with a 2-1 lead over A&T after taking the third set. However the Aggies regained control in the fourth set and didn’t fret when an A&T error tied the game at 22. Kills from senior Jeana Daniels and junior Aleena McDaniel along with a Chicago State error helped the Aggies win the set.
Women's Volleyball Opens Season With 3-1 Win Over Mason
WASHINGTON, DC --- The Howard University women's volleyball team opened their 2014 campaign with an impressive 3-1 victory over the George Mason Patriots in their first match of the annual DC Volleyball Challenge at American University Friday afternoon.
Freshman Khalia Donaldson was one of several players to post strong numbers in the season premiere for Howard (1-0). The 5-10 outside hitter posted a game-high 21 kills in her collegiate debut and posted the best hitting percentage (.245) of any player who attempted 10 or more attacks. Donaldson also added 15 digs, one block and four block assists against Mason (0-1).
Senior setter Stephanie Shultis picked up where she left off in 2013 by putting the team in position to be successful, logging a game high 45 assists.
Three other Lady Bison recorded seven or more kills - seniors Assata Conway and Meagan Lagerlef (8) and sophomore Katherine Broussard (7). Conway added six digs and six block assists, Broussard led all players with 16 digs and Lagerlef added a pair of digs and a block assist as well.
NCCU Volleyball Drops Season Opener to Fighting Camels
DURHAM, N.C. – Despite a high intensity, hard-fought third set, the North Carolina Central University volleyball team dropped its first match of the 2014 season, falling 3-0 (25-16, 25-14. 25-17) to the Campbell University Fighting Camels on Friday, Aug. 29, during day one of the NCCU Invitational in McDougald-McLendon Gym.
Sophomore outside hitter Kelsey Murphy (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) led the way for the Eagles offense finishing the night with a game-best nine kills, hitting .269 over the course of the match, committing just two errors on her 26 attempts.
The senior duo of Ashley McCarthy (Elmont, N.Y.) and Da'sha Brown (Gaston, S.C.) tailed Murphy, combining for nine additional kills with five and four respectively.
In spite of the fast tempo and long rallies in set one, NCCU got out to a slow start on the offensive end, relying on its defense to keep the match within reach. As the Eagles trailed by four at 14-10, Campbell took advantage of NCCU's offensive struggle, going on an 11-5 run, earning the 25-16 set one victory.
For complete story, visit www.nccueaglepride.com
Keaton, Devinney Lead UT-Martin Past SC State 3-0; Murray State Downs SC State Volleyball 3-0
MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- South Carolina State dropped matches by scores of 3-0 to University of Tennessee at Martin (25-11, 25-15, 25-9) and Murray State (25-7, 25-11, 25-21) to start the 2014 season at the ISTAP Collegiate Cup I Tournament presented by DoubleTree by Hilton hosted by Alabama State University.
Down two sets, SC State (0-1) got out to a 2-0 lead in set three after a block by Kiana Stone and Shandice Sluch and a Skyhawk attack error. But UT-Martin took the final set 25-9 to win their first match of the season.
Madison Bergren had a match-high 35 assists and added two service aces for UT-Martin.
The Racers (2-0) cruised through the first two sets to take a 2-0 lead in the match. The Lady Bulldogs (0-2) got focused in the third set, however, and went from being down by as much as five points (15-10) to tying the set at 18-all.
Down 20-18, a kill by Erica Pritchett and back-to-back attack errors by the Racers gave SC State its first lead of the match, 21-20. But Murray State scored five straight points after taking a time out to seal the win.
For Murray State, Kristen Besselsen tallied a match-high 12 kills, while Emily Schmahl had 10 kills. Sam Bedard added 25 assists and five digs.
For complete stories, visit www.scsuathletics.com