Box Score BALTIMORE, Md. (Oct. 20, 2013)-The Morgan State volleyball team nearly squandered a 2-0 lead to crosstown rival Coppin State on Sunday evening, but held on for a tough 3-2 (25-19, 25-22, 20-25, 23-25, 15-12) victory over the Eagles in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) North Division match at Hill Field House. The match was the Lady Bears' annual Dig Pink match for breast cancer awareness.
The Lady Bears earned a season split against Coppin State with the win and moved into a tie with Norfolk State for third-place in the league standings. The win also extended the Lady Bears' winning streak to a season-best four straight, while remaining unbeaten at home this season in four contests.
Sunday's contest was a coming out of sorts for five Lady Bears players, who all set career highs against Coppin State.
Junior
Zuri Smith set a match- and career-high 21 kills to lead four Lady Bears in double figures in kills. Senior
Janelle Wilson also totaled a career-high with 17 kills, sophomore
Samantha Prescott added 16 kills, while freshman
Haley McClure finished with a career-high 11 kills. Senior
Ngebui Chafeh tallied a match- and career-high 59 assists and sophomore
Arianna Hayden notched a career- and match-high 23 digs.
Coppin State (7-15, 3-4 MEAC) was led by Kandace Thomas, who had a team-high 18 kills and Ariel Richard and Cindy Okpegbue added 13 and 12 kills, respectively. Chelsee Sauni finished with a team-high 47 assists, while Gabrielle Otero recorded a team-high 15 digs.
Morgan State (9-11, 4-3 MEAC) appeared to be on its way to a possible sweep of the Eagles, as it held a 16-11 lead in Set 3 after a kill from
Samantha Prescott. That's when Coppin State went to work, using an 11-2 spurt, capped off with a kill by Ariel Richard to give the guests a 22-18 lead.
Coppin State trailed 16-10 in the fourth set, when it used a 9-3 run to even the score at 19 all, following back-to-back kills by Cindy Okpegbue. Kandace Thomas later added a kill to put the Eagles up for good a 22-21, as the guests would force a fifth and decisive set.
Just like their first meeting of the season, which also went five sets, Morgan State held an 8-5 lead when the two teams switched sides. But Coppin State bounced back to score the next three points to even the score at 8-8. Morgan State countered with a 5-2 run to take a 13-10 lead and Prescott eventually closed the door with a kill for the 15-12 win.
The Lady Bears continue their season-long three-match homestand when they return to action on Friday, Oct. 25 to take on Norfolk State in a MEAC match at 7 p.m. at Hill Field House. The Spartans were dealt a 3-0 loss to Hampton on Sunday. The two teams are currently tied for third-place in the league standings. Norfolk State defeated Morgan State earlier this season, 3-2 in Norfolk, Va.
