Volleyball | 8/20/2024 2:13:00 PM

NORFOLK, Va.- Coming off its first-ever MEAC Championship, the Coppin State volleyball team has been picked to finish second in the league's Preseason Poll which was released on Tuesday afternoon.  Additionally, TaKenya Stafford, the 2023 MEAC Tournament Most Outstanding Player, was named to the Preseason All-Conference Team.
 
Coppin earned one first-place vote and finished with 101 points in the poll.  Howard received 14 first-place votes and 124 points and is favored to win the conference after advancing to the MEAC Title Game last season.
 
Delaware State was picked third, followed by Maryland Eastern Shore, Norfolk State with one first-place vote, North Carolina Central, Morgan State and South Carolina State.
 
Stafford is joined on the Preseason All-MEAC Team by Player of the Year Rya McKinnon of Howard and her teammate Cimone Woodard, Norfolk State's Gabrielle Gilbert, Alondra Maldonado and Kelsie Dawson of Delaware State, N.C. Central's Loren Johnson and Ranyla Griggs of Maryland Eastern Shore.
 
A junior from Los Angeles, Calif., Stafford was a First Team All-MEAC selection last season after being the only player ranked in the top ten in kills (363; 3.27 per set) and digs (294; 2.65 per set). Stafford ranked second in the league in total kills, third in kills/set, fifth in total digs and seventh in digs/set. She also led the MEAC with ten double-doubles.
 
Stafford became just the second player in CSU history to record 20 kills and 20 digs in the same match as she went for 27 kills with 23 digs in a win at N.C. Central.  In the MEAC Championship Match, Stafford tallied 12 kills without an error to hit .480 while adding six digs.
 
The Eagles open the season on August 30-31 at the Red Storm Invitational where they'll take on Northeastern and Central Connecticut State on Friday, and host St. John's on Saturday.