PRINCESS ANNE, Maryland — The University of Maryland Eastern Shore volleyball team fell to the Coppin State University Eagles 3-0 (23-25, 18-25 and 25-27) on Sunday afternoon (Nov. 17).
"You have to give Coppin State a lot of credit for how they played today because they came out aggressive and ready," head coach Trevor Callarman said. "We struggled in some spots on defense but I think we can get those corrected going forward."
Despite dropping the match, the Hawks still clinched a spot in next weekend's Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament by virtue of Delaware State's loss to Morgan State.
In the first set on Sunday, Maryland Eastern Shore had a 21-19 lead. The Hawks would surrender the next four points and CSU would hold on to win the frame.
The Eagles would use a 6-0 run in the middle of the second set to secure a 2-0 lead in the match. The final set of the day would go into extras as the frame had 15 ties and nine lead changes. The Shore would have set point at 25-24 before Coppin State would get the final three points to secure the win.
Sunday's match also served as senior night for setter Ivana Blazevic (Zagreb, Croatia) and middle blocker Lidia Chery (Garfield, New Jersey). Blazevic had 32 assists and three aces and Chery finished with three kills and three blocks in their final match at the Hytche Center. Junior Tatjana Trifkovic (Belgrade, Serbia) had 11 kills to lead the Hawks and sophomore Stella Johnson (Newport News, Virginia) finished with a game-high 23 digs.
Eastern Shore is the No. 4 seed in the MEAC northern division. They will face the No. 1 seed in the southern division North Carolina A&T on Friday (Nov. 22) at 5 p.m. in Burr Gymnasium at Howard University. The Aggies took a five set thriller in Greensboro on Oct. 18 when the two teams matched up earlier this season.
"It is great to be in the tournament and have a chance to win a championship," Callarman said. "The records are 0-0 now so it's a whole new season and we are excited about that."
For more information on Eastern Shore Athletics visit http://www.easternshorehawks.com/.
