The American University Women's Volleyball team (5-0) defeated the Coppin State Eagles (2-2) on Sept. 4 in three sets, their fifth straight win in the 2024 season. American entered the game having only dropped two sets all season, and they were looking to take care of business against a Coppin State team whom they had defeated in all eight of their past contests.
The game started out slow as both teams traded points until a huge block from sophomore outside hitter Sofia Osterdahl fueled a run from AU. After breaking the early back and forth, American took the lead, which they never relinquished, as they eventually went on to win the first set comfortably at 25-16. Junior outside hitter Adelina Berisha had five kills in the set, en route to a 12-kill performance.
The second set started off much like the first, with a series of trading that culminated in a Coppin State attacking error that gave American an 11-9 lead. Coppin State kept things close throughout the set and even managed to push the score to 20-19, only down by a single point. However, soon after, their wheels fell off and American went on a five-point run, taking the set 25-20.
It was easy to assume that the game was over. American had looked much stronger than Coppin State across the first two sets and had only dropped one set to them across a match history stretching back 14 years. However, Coppin State had more in the tank, as they proved throughout an exciting third set.
After both teams scored three points, Coppin State went on a run, taking three points straight. For the first time all game, their fans could be heard, hollering their support. Coppin State managed to keep their lead for the majority of the set until a block and subsequent kill from freshman middle blocker Elise Sterling tied the score up at 16 a piece.
From that point on both teams traded points in what had become by far the most intense set of the match, with neither team leading by more than two points at any time. Despite stellar play from their hitters, Coppin State was plagued by service errors, committing three in the third set, and upping their total to seven.
After a few Coppin State kills, an ace from freshman libero Bella Marrero tied the score up again, this time at 21. American dropped the next point, but then senior setter Esma Sipahi collected her third kill of the game, ending a massive rally, and eliciting loud cheers from the fans. Coppin State quieted the crowd quickly, with a decisive kill, but then another service error once again tied the set at 23-all.
Sterling won the next point by stuffing down her seventh kill of the set, and her ninth of the game. Sipahi ended things right after, with another of her signature fake-set spikes, to take the set 25-23, and win the match.
Freshman outside hitter Zedo Yilmaz recorded nine kills and nine digs, in her first game following her Patriot League Rookie of the Week honor. Yilmaz has slammed down at least nine kills in all five games this year and says she “feels at home” at American, despite being over 5,000 miles from where she grew up in Istanbul.
Berisha led the team with 12 kills and tacked on nine digs as well. This was her cleanest game of the season, as she only recorded one error, and had a hitting percentage of .379. Berisha attributed her improved performance to successfully managing her energy across all three sets, which she said is something coach Ahen Kim has helped her with.
American plays three games this weekend at the Fairfield Inn and Suites Dunn Campbell Invitational in Buies Creek, N.C.
This article was edited by Connor Sturniolo, Delaney Hoke and Abigail Turner. Copy editing done by Luna Jinks and Ella Rousseau.
