By Colin Fields
Contributing Writer
The Orange and Blue dismantled Coppin State in thier first match of the Bison Volleyball Invitational last weekend and in doing so, picked up the 300th win for Coach Cindy Opalski. Kat Tauscher ’13 was named to the All-Tournament Team, and the Bison almost came back from a two-set deficit against Stony Brook in what was an exciting weekend for the Orange and Blue.
On Friday, the Bison rolled Coppin State 3-1 in sets. The Orange and Blue have not needed a fifth set in any win this season. The Bison took home the victory with scores of 25-20, 23-25, 25-20, 25-23. Kebah Edoho ’13 gave her second consecutive double-digit kill performance, leading the Bison with a career-best 12. The Bison rallied after giving up a 7-0 run to give their coach her milestone victory.
“I am very happy for Coach’s 300th win; she has been here for a long time and she deserves it. She means a lot to the team because she really cares about us and is very invested in us as a team. She is a coach that is always looking out for our best interests,” Edoho said.
The Bison continued their weekend action against Stony Brook. The Bison went 2-0 in sets and were down 20-16 in the third when Leylin Marroquin ’14 took service and rallied the Bison to a 9-0 run. The Bison took the fourth set before finally falling 15-10 in the fifth set. Tauscher had a team-high 42 assists and was named to the All-Tournament Team.
“After being down 2-0 we knew that we needed to rally to push it to 5 games. It was a really good test of our mental toughness and showed that we could come together in pressure situations. I feel very confident after this weekend that we will be able to be successful in Patriot League play because of our ability to fight and not give up,” Rose Lewis ’14 said.
The Bison concluded the tournament by facing an undefeated Bowling Green. The Orange and Blue came out firing in the second set after dropping the first 25-12. The Bison had a six-point advantage late in the second set but ultimately lost 28-26, then lost the third set 25-20.
After the invitational, the Orange and Blue are 3-6 on the season.
The Bison open Patriot League play on Sept. 24 at 7 p.m. against American in Washington, D.C.
