BALTIMORE, Md. – Following Sunday afternoon's marathon match against Coppin State in the physical Education Complex, the Hampton University volleyball team has gone to five sets three times this season – and won twice, thanks to a 3-2 (16-25, 25-23, 26-24, 17-25, 15-9) win over the Eagles.
 
The Lady Pirates improved to 2-19 overall and 2-6 in MEAC play this season.
 
Reeana Richardson led the Lady Pirates with 14 kills on the afternoon, also racking up a career-high 12 kills for her second double-double of the season. Lena Washington also had 12 kills.
 
Mallory Beard also had 12 digs on defense, while Allysa Medina added 11 digs.
 
Kyndall Nicholas and Tatyana Thomas each had seven blocks for the Lady Pirates, who held a 14-4 overall edge over Coppin State in blocks. Nicholas also had five kills, hitting a team-best .444. Thomas added seven kills.
 
Alexandra Erhart had six blocks to go along with 17 assists.
 
Brianna Lilly had a team-high 28 assists.
 
The Lady Pirates hit .175 (49 kills, 22 errors in 154 attacks) for the match, besting Coppin State's .165. The Eagles (8-12, 5-4 MEAC) led in almost every statistical category outside of blocks, but they did commit 34 errors on the afternoon.
 
Coppin State jumped out to a 14-9 lead to open up the first set, and the Eagles later held a 19-11 edge. Hampton scored three straight points to cut the gap to 19-14 after Washington and Nicholas paired on a block, and Hampton later cut the gap to 21-16.
 
But the Eagles scored the last four points to take the first set.
 
Both teams were at their best offensively in the second set – Coppin State hit .375 in the set, while the Lady Pirates hit .353. A kill from Medina early in the set tied the score at 8-8, and that was part of a 5-1 Hampton run that gave the Lady Pirates an 11-9 lead after a Washington kill.
 
Hampton later held a 14-13 lead, but Coppin State used a 4-1 run to take a 17-15 lead. As the set went on into the closing stages, the Eagles held a 22-21 lead. But a Thomas kill and a Coppin State error gave the Lady Pirates a 23-22 lead – and the Eagles answered on the next point to force a 23-23 tie.
 
Thomas and Washington forced set point with a block on the next rally, before Medina recorded a kill to give Hampton the set and tie the match at 1-1.
 
Hampton carried that momentum into the third set, opening the frame by taking a 10-3 lead – and later going up 12-4 on a block from Thomas. But the Eagles answered with a 10-1 run, taking a 14-13 lead in the process.
 
The Lady Pirates responded with five straight points, going up 18-14 before a 5-1 Coppin State run tied the set at 19-19. The Eagles later held a 21-20 lead, and proceeded to tie the score three more times in the waning moments of the set.
 
But after the Eagles tied the set at 24-24, Washington forced set point with a kill before Erhart and Nicholas paired on a block that gave the Lady Pirates a 2-1 lead in the match.
 
Coppin State jumped out to a 9-4 lead to open the fourth set, before the Lady Pirates scored the next three points to cut the lead to 9-7 after a Coppin State attack error. But the Eagles held control for much of the set, at one point leading 17-11.
 
A Washington kill cut the lead to 19-16, but the Eagles closed the set on a 6-1 run to force a fifth set.
 
The Lady Pirates hit .250 in the fifth set, while Coppin State hit -.071. The Lady Pirates took a 7-5 lead in the set following a kill from Washington, before the Eagles scored on the next point to cut the lead to 7-6.
 
But Hampton went on a 7-2 run to force match point, going up 14-8 after a Richardson kill.
 
After Coppin State scored the next point, Richardson and Nicholas paired on a block that ended not just the set, but the match.
 
Cindy Okpegbue led four Coppin State players in double figures with 18 kills.
 
The Lady Pirates will return to Holland Hall on Sunday to take on rival Howard at 3 p.m. For more information on Hampton University volleyball, please call the Office of Sports Information at (757) 727-5811, or visit the official Pirates website at www.hamptonpirates.com.