DOVER, Del. - Freshman Theresa Schieder (Munich, Germany) and sophomore Jessica Croucher (Brisbane, Australia) combined for 24 kills Friday evening as the Delaware State Hornets outlasted Coppin State University, 3-2 (25-19, 17-25, 25-18, 20-25, 18-16), at Memorial Hall.
In addition to her 12 kills, Schieder recorded a team-high .417 attack percentage (12 kills, two errors, 24 total attacks) while Croucher hit .333 on the night. Senior Elisa Herrmann (Andernach, Germany) also hit double-digit kills with 11.
The Hornets started the night with a quick 5-1 lead over the Eagles in the first set. Del State eventually took a 16-10 advantage before CSU came within three at 16-13. DSU never looked back and took the 25-19 victory as a Herrmann kill sealed the game.
The tides turned in the second set as the Eagles took two kills from Christina Epps to take a 10-7 lead. A kill from Ariel Richard gave Coppin an 18-10 advantage and the Hornets were never able to catch up as the Eagles tied the match at 1-1 after a 25-17 set two victory.
Set three was a story of runs. With Schieder and Croucher serving, the Hornets took a 6-6 tie and went on a 9-1 run to go up, 15-7. The Eagles responded with three straight points before an attack error from Vanity Massey turned into two straight service aces from DSU junior Laisha Davis (Riviera Beach, Fla.). Two kills from Herrmann and an ace from junior Bel Fakaosi (Salt Lake City, Utah) put Del State up, 22-11, before the Eagles went on their own 6-0 run. A service error from Kristine Bindule and kills from Herrmann and Schieder gave the Hornets the 25-18 win.
The two teams went back and forth in the fourth set until Coppin State closed out on a 6-1 run to win, 25-20, and force the match into a fifth set.
The Hornets and Eagles exchanged the lead six times, including a 5-0 run from the Eagles to tie things at 15-15. A Schieder kill gave Del State a 17-16 lead before a block from Davis and Herrmann sealed the set (18-16) and match for the Hornets.
Richard posted a match-high 27 kills in the Coppin State loss.
The victory moves Delaware State to 4-18 on the season and 3-6 in Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference play while the Eagles fall to 5-21 overall and 3-6 in the conference. The Hornets stay undefeated at home in five-set matches this season.
The Hornets travel to Baltimore, Md. on Saturday to take on Morgan State at 3 p.m.
---DSU VB---
