BALTIMORE, Md. - Coppin State secured a 3-1 (25-23, 19-25, 25-18, 25-17) victory over Lafayette on Saturday in the opening match of the Charm City Classic, hosted by Coppin State and Towson. Outside Hitter Auma Mbeche-Odhiambo led both teams with 21 kills, marking back-to-back contests with 20-plus kills.

Set one began with the two teams even at 10-10, splitting the first 20 points of the match. The Eagles claimed six of the next seven points to take a 16-11 advantage. Lafayette and Coppin State traded spurts of points throughout the set before the hosts increased their lead to 24-19. With Coppin State looking for the set point, the Maroon and White clawed into the deficit, thanks to kills from Jada Aksu, Ally Feczko and Mbeche-Odhiambo for a four-point run to cut the lead to one (24-23). The Eagles' fifth attempt at the set-sealing point finally went their way, as Cherisse Atilano converted the kill attempt.

The Leopards started the second set hot, capturing a 5-0 lead courtesy of Coppin State errors and kills from Mackenzie Calhoun and Mbeche-Odhiambo. Both teams traded leads later in the set, struggling to create separation from each other. Lafayette and Coppin State sat tied at 16 apiece until Aksu sparked the Leopards' attack. Over the remainder of set two, the Maroon and White outscored its opponents 9-3. Abby Nicholson collected a trio of kills down the stretch, while Lafayette earned the final three points. In the second set, Lafayette tallied 16 kills as a team with a .361 hitting percentage, in comparison to Coppin State's 15 kills and a .154 hitting percentage.

The Eagles won both the third and fourth sets as the Leopards were unable to keep their run going. Coppin State took the lead in the third set immediately after an attack error, holding the advantage all the way through the completion of the period. The first 16 points of the fourth set were split evenly until the hosts began to pull away, eventually tallying the match point.

Five Leopards rang up at least five kills in the match (Mbeche-Odhiambo, Feczko, Nicholson, Carol Ulichney and Aksu). Calhoun and Sophia Wilson paced the Leopards in assists, with 26 and 19, respectively. As a team, Lafayette posted four rejections.

The Leopards retake the court on Friday at 3 p.m., when they take on Iona.


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