DURHAM, N.C. – North Carolina Central University junior libero Loren Johnson tied a modern era program record with 30 digs in a lengthy 3-2 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference volleyball home loss to Coppin State University inside McDougald-McLendon Arena on Sunday afternoon.
 
Johnson accounted for 30 of NCCU's 102 total digs, which is a new NCAA Division I era team program record for digs in a single match. Johnson's 30 digs matched the modern era program record (since 2007) of 30 digs recorded by Melissa Rabell Pineiro against Bethune-Cookman University on Oct. 5, 2014.
 
Johnson, who hails from Charlotte, North Carolina, also served up a career-high six aces in helping NCCU take a Coppin State squad that sits atop the league standings to five sets.
 
A total of six NCCU Eagles all reached double-digit digs. Graduate student Jeslyn Spencer made 17 digs; junior setter Bella Dearinger and sophomore defensive specialist Neira Joldic each supplied 14 digs; sophomore outside hitter Emmie Modlin tallied 13 digs; and sophomore outside hitter Kamren Harper netted 10 digs. Spencer, Joldic and Modilin all finished with season-high dig performances.
 
The trio of Harper, Modlin and Spencer all successfully notched double-doubles. Harper and Modlin paced the host Eagles with 14 kills while Spencer followed closely behind with 13 kills. Modlin also tallied two aces and participated on four blocks to finish with a team-best 18 points. Graduate student Isa Dostal chipped in nine kills, two aces and one block assist as four NCCU Eagles reached double-digit point totals.
 
Dearinger completed her own version of a double-double with 41 assists.
 
NCCU and Coppin State have played three consecutive five-set matches over the past two years, with CSU winning all three times. With the 17-25, 28-26, 26-24, 23-25, 15-7 triumph, Coppin State improved its MEAC-leading overall record to 14-3 while remaining one of two undefeated teams in league play at 4-0.
 
Sophomore TaKenya Stafford led the victors with a match-high 27 kills and 23 digs.
 
NCCU hit .286 in the opening set to win by eight-points and then served for set-point twice in the second set, but Coppin State won the final three points to level the match. The two Eagle programs would then trade two more sets that were decided by just two points in the third and fourth sets to force a fifth set.
 
The NCCU Eagles, who were playing in their sixth 5-set match of the season, held an early 2-1 edge in the final frame before dropping the next four points. Stafford netted nearly half of the CSU's 15-points in that set with seven kills as the visitors came out of on top.
 
NC Central (2-11 Overall, 1-3 MEAC) will next begin a three-match conference road swing with a showdown against University of Maryland Eastern Shore (Princess Anne, Md.) on Friday, Oct. 6 at 6 p.m.
 
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