WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Howard volleyball team improved to 4-0 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) after taking down Coppin State in three sets on Sunday afternoon at Burr Gym.
The Bison (14-5 overall) had three players reach double figures in kills, led by junior Khaila Donaldson with 14. Sophomore Courtney Dalton followed up with 13 kills and junior Jessica Young added 10 kills to the mix. Sophomore Tamia Dockery handed out 38 assists, her 14th match of the season with at least 30 helpers.
On defense, senior Morgan Marlbrough tallied 13 digs and Dalton posted four blocks. Seniors Dominique Cleggett and Whitney Fields also had three blocks apiece.
Donaldson moved into third-place all-time with 1,076 career kills.
The Eagles (0-17 overall, 0-3 MEAC) finished the outing with a .108 hitting percentage, while the Bison had a .358 hitting mark. It was the fourth consecutive match that Howard held its opponent below .110.
The match began in CSU's favor as Howard called the first timeout while down 8-6. Fields and Dalton came together at the net for a block to tie the set at 11. The Eagles went up by two before a service ace by junior Carlise Cardoza and kills from Dalton and Cleggett gave Howard a 16-15 edge. Once again, CSU got back in front and the Bison need to use its second timeout. The Eagles burned their own timeout after three mistakes helped HU go ahead 24-22. An attacking error by CSU handed Howard the set, 25-22.
The Bison jumped out to a 10-7 advantage to send the Eagles to their bench early in the second set. Howard continued to push forward, getting out to an 18-11 lead, which featured three blocks. The Eagles were able to pull within four after the two teams traded kills but a zinger from Dalton closed the set, 25-20.
Howard started the final set on a 15-9 run as Dalton, Young and Donaldson took turns adding kills to the stat sheet. The Eagles called for time but it did nothing to slow HU's momentum. Back-to-back attack errors stunted CSU's attempt to close the gap. The Eagles came up with a kill and block to keep their chances alive but a service error end the match.
The Bison will hit the road to take on Hampton at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 7.
