UMES Hawks pick up critical MEAC win in comeback fashion

BALTIMORE, Maryland — Facing a 2-0 deficit for the second straight match, the University of Maryland Eastern Shore volleyball team had to pull off a strenuous comeback to avoid a two game conference losing streak. But the Hawks did rally, closing out two nail biting set wins before finishing Coppin State in a dramatic five set victory (18-25, 23-25, 25-23, 26-24, 15-12).

The Shore (6-12, 3-1 MEAC) remains tied with Morgan State for second place in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Northern Division.

Things looked bleak after the second set. Coppin State rallied from 20-12 behind, scoring 13 of the next 16 points for their 2-0 lead. Any blunder by the Hawks after that would have resulted in their first MEAC losing streak since the 2015 season, when they dropped back-to-back contests with Howard and Morgan State.

BOX SCORE

Instead the Hawks' rally marks the first time the team rallied from two sets down to win since September 26, 2014, when they accomplished the feat over Delaware State.

A trio of athletes - senior Lucia Babic (Sisak, Croatia), senior Rachel Kayongo (Northridge, California) and sophomore Sola Okesanjo (Chicago, Illinois - finished the match with double-digit kills. Babic led The Shore with 17 putaways. Senior defender Koya Sowells (Missouri City, Texas) averaged five digs per set for a career high of 25. Freshman defender Stella Johnson (Newport News, Virginia) added 12 digs from the back row.

Okesanjo was the most efficient hitter with a .526 percentage, while also adding a pair of blocks. But it was freshman Mauri Carver (Elizabeth City, North Carolina) who led the match with five block participations. Fellow freshman Alexis Lee (Wilmington, Delaware) added four blocks, including two solos.

Coppin State (6-17, 1-3 MEAC) saw over five kills per set from Miajavon Coleman, who led the match with 28. Four Eagles earned double-digit digs, and setter Brianna Lang nearly capped 10 assists per set for a total of 49.

After the Hawks dropped the first two sets, they found themselves down 8-4 in set three. Quickly rallying to an 11-10, lead Eastern Shore continued to drive the score up to 20-14. They then fended off another Coppin charge to stay alive with a two point win.

In set four, both teams had early charges before drawing level all the way to extra volleys. The Shore scored the last three out of four to win 26-24 and force the winner-take-all fifth set. Riding that momentum the Hawks overwhelmed the Eagles with a 7-1 start, coasting to a three point win to take the match.

The comeback victory extends Maryland Eastern Shore's winning streak against Coppin State to eight consecutive matches.

Next up will be a battle for second place with the Morgan State Bears. A 3 p.m. serve is on tap from Hill Field House in Baltimore Sunday (Oct. 14).

UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND EASTERN SHORE ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS