The Eagles had a great opening to the season, going 7W-4L during the first 11 matches of the campaign despite losing Amy Cooper and Kiana Cunningham during this stretch. The team hit for 392 kills and had a .188 hit %, both numbers well ahead of pace of last year's squad's performance. Thanks to the early performance by Amy Cooper, the Eagles were serving at 90% and had already garnered 135 aces (over 3 aces/set) and were one of the best teams in the nation in that category. Amy at this time was in the top 10 nationally for that stat. The blocking had been slow to develop as Subhana Wrights and Ireyah Stevens struggled to find consistency in their defensive game but the backline defense was outstanding as Katie Cooper's 158 digs and consistent serve receive had already earned her an NEAC Defensive Player of the Week Honors.
But the next 11 matches saw the Eagles lose Amy permanently, lose backup setter Cheyenne Grant for a spell of 4 matches and, even though Kiana Cunningham returned to the lineup late in this stretch, Nicole Morera was then lost for over a week (3 matches). The loss in personnel was devastating to the team's prospects and despite solid contributions from role players Ayesha Brannon, Natasia Wilson, Amanda Inacio and Taisha Colon, the Eagles could not overcome the experience and firepower lost through the injuries and netted only 1win out of the next 11 matches. The team hit only 309 kills and had a mere .102 hit %. The ace production dropped to 87 while the errors had the Eagle serving % at 84.5%. Although Ireyah Stevens and Subhana Wrights had begun to be a force at the net, improving by nearly 20 blocks over the first 11 matches, the backline defense had seen their production drop off due in large part to the different systems the team had to run on defense and offense as the injuries mounted.
But characteristic of this team's heart during the past 3 years, just when the season or match seem to be lost, the Eagles fight their way out of the adversity and produce some amazing results. The last 11 matches had both Kiana and Nicole back in the line-up and Cheyenne Grant getting more and more comfortable in running the offense. Despite losing both Amanda Inacio and Taisha Colon for stretches during this time, the Eagles were fairly injury free for the majority of these 11 matches. The result was a steadier and more consistent performance in all facets of the game which produced yet another strong finish by a squad that just refused to accept losing.
In 2010, the team finished on a 7W-3L run to even their record at 16W-16L, the best ever at that point. In 2011, CSE closed the season on a 10W-1L run that propelled the squad to the best record ever at CSE at 22W-7L. This season wasn't any different as the Eagles rode the improved play of Cheyenne Grant -who ran the offense flawlessly during this stretch- and the dominance of Subhana Wrights offensively to put together a 9W-2L run (6W-0L run at the end) that secured another finish over .500 for the Eagles. CSE hit for 409 kills during this stretch and had improved their hit % to .189. The ace production was yet again at 104 and the team's serving % had climbed back up to 87%. Katie Cooper and Nicole Morera climbed to the top 25 and 40 nationally in aces/set to spearhead the effort. Defensively, the team had over 500 digs with Katie Cooper leading the way with 176 of them. Subhana Wrights and Ireyah Stevens were ferocious at the net, combining for 36.5 blocks during this stretch and shutting down other teams' best offensive weapons.
A tremendous end to a chaotic season that sees the departure of the only two players left from the 1W team in 2010, Subhana Wrights and Kareemah Muhammad, who became two of the leaders on this team and who were the building blocks for the success this team experienced over the past 3 seasons. 2013 may also be the end for a 3 year starter and captain, Amy Cooper, who was poised to take a run at the top spot nationally in aces/set and who was in charge of the best offensive output the team had ever produced in the last three years prior to her injury. The season also closes a chapter in the playing career of an important role player, Taisha Colon, who anchored a service rotation that had lost its efficiency with consistent serves when the squad most needed it. 2013 was also the debut, the trial by fire and the amazing success of one of the most exciting players to step on the court for the Eagles as Cheyenne Grant took over the reins of the team from an injured Amy Cooper and led the team to another great closing stretch. Her infectious energy and emotion carried the squad during tense moments and lifted the spirit and the performance level of her team. And last, but not least, 2013 was the debut of Kristiana Thrash who improved greatly during the season and took a chance on being part of a team and a sport completely foreign to her. We commend her for her work, her effort, her dedication and her love of this sport.
CONGRATULATIONS 2013 SCREAMING EAGLES! YOU MADE THIS COACH EXCEPTIONALLY PROUD!
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