Coppin State University women’s volleyball received two MEAC awards Sept. 21, 2026, as Eva Rovello earned Volleyball Player of the Week honors and Kayden Cupid was named Defensive Player of the Week. The recognition followed a 4-0 week for Coppin State, which had won seven consecutive matches at the time of the announcement.
Rovello, a junior setter from France, earned her first MEAC Player of the Week award after previously receiving two Setter of the Week honors. Cupid, a junior middle hitter from Supply, N.C., became a two-time recipient of the MEAC Defensive Player of the Week award.
Eva Rovello Leads Coppin State University Women’s Volleyball
Rovello was named the Most Valuable Player of UConn’s For The White & Blue Tournament while helping Coppin State post four victories during the week. She averaged 10.07 assists, 2.60 digs and 0.87 blocks per set, added 20 kills and hit .422.
Rovello opened the week with 26 assists, 14 digs, five kills and five blocks against UConn. She followed with 46 assists, two aces, eight digs, five blocks and three kills against Rhode Island before recording 37 assists, seven digs, six kills and two blocks against Merrimack.
Rovello then posted 42 assists, 10 digs and six kills at New Haven for her league-leading seventh double-double. For the season, she led the MEAC with 9.11 assists per set and ranked among the league leaders with 2.27 digs per set. She also had 51 kills on .409 hitting, 15 aces, 39 blocks and 501 assists.
Kayden Cupid Provides Blocking Strength
Cupid averaged 2.00 blocks per set and totaled 30 blocks during the week, the most in the nation during that span. She earned All-Tournament Team honors and added 34 kills on .517 hitting.
Cupid recorded eight kills and matched a career high with 10 blocks against UConn. She followed with 11 kills and seven blocks against Rhode Island, then posted four kills and three blocks against Merrimack before finishing the tournament with 11 kills and 10 blocks at New Haven.
For the season, Cupid led the nation with 72 total blocks and ranked 15th nationally with 1.53 blocks per set. She ranked second in the MEAC with a .361 hitting percentage and had 87 kills.
Cherisse Atilano Earns All-Tournament Honors
Cherisse Atilano joined Cupid on the UConn tournament’s All-Tournament Team. A sophomore from Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, Atilano recorded 33 kills on .253 hitting and 18 digs during the week.
Atilano had 12 kills, six digs and an ace against UConn before posting a match- and season-high 15 kills on .281 hitting and nine digs in a sweep of Merrimack.
Coppin State University Women’s Volleyball Opens MEAC Play
Coppin State entered the announcement with an 8-5 record and a seven-match winning streak. The Eagles were scheduled to open MEAC play at Howard on Sept. 24 and at Norfolk State on Sept. 27.
Coppin State was also scheduled to host Loyola Maryland in its home opener Tuesday, Sept. 29, at 6 p.m. All three matches were scheduled to air on the MEAC Network.
Read the official Coppin State announcement.
Maryland Sports Blog Take
Rovello and Cupid gave Coppin State University women’s volleyball two nationally recognized statistical strengths entering MEAC play. Rovello’s league-leading assist rate supported the offense, while Cupid’s blocking production provided a major defensive contribution.
The upcoming matches against Howard, Norfolk State and Loyola Maryland were scheduled to give Coppin State its first opportunities to extend its seven-match winning streak in the next phase of the season.
Source: Original report
