Christa Rogers notched a season-high 33 assists, four digs and had four kills for a hitting percentage of .375 against Coppin State.
Boxscore
BALTIMORE, Md. (Oct. 10, 2008)-Morgan State freshman Rhyan Shy tallied a season- and team-high 11 kills and fellow freshman Kierra Riley added seven kills, while freshman Christa Rogers notched a season-high 33 assists to lead the Lady Bears to a 3-0 (25-21, 25-20, 26-24) Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference victory over host Coppin State on Friday evening at the Coppin Center.
The victory was much needed for Morgan State, which improved to 2-18 overall and 1-2 in the MEAC and ended a season-long tying nine-match losing skid. It also extended the Lady Bears winning streak to 41 straight matches over Coppin State, which fell to 0-15, 0-3 MEAC.
The Lady Bears, who totaled a season-high 42 kills, also finished with a season-best hitting percentage of .260 for the match. Morgan State also had a 3-2 block advantage over the Lady Eagles with Camille Coleman finishing with a match-high three total blocks and Riley adding two blocks.
Statistically, Morgan State played its best volleyball of the season in the opening set, collecting a season-high 16 kills on 27 attempts and three errors for a hitting percentage of .481. However, three service errors along with some breakdowns on defense made it a closer score. The Lady Bears took a 23-15 advantage following a service ace by Dominique Bozier (five kills, two service aces and a block). But host Coppin State would counter with four straight points in the midst of a 6-1 run to pull within 21-24, before Ivanti Bush (five kills, four digs) ended the set with a kill.
The Lady Bears broke an 8-8 tie in the second set with six consecutive points, but the Lady Eagles wouldn't go away, scoring the next five points to make it a one point (14-13) deficit. Morgan held a 23-16 lead following a kill by Riley and Coleman ended the set with a kill to give the Lady Bears a 2-0 lead in the match.
The third set was back-and-forth with both teams trading leads seven times and 13 ties. The host Lady Eagles seemed to be in control after taking a 22-20 lead. However, the guests would score the next four points to hold a 24-22 lead. Coppin State countered with two points, tying the set at 24 all, before Morgan State scored the next two points, including the game winner on a ball handling call on Coppin's Lauren Lacey.
Brittany Arvin finished with a match-high 12 kills, while Kanishia Sheppard added 10 kills. Tyler Phillips had a match-high 11 digs and Jade Dudley recorded 10 digs. Lacey totaled 28 assists.
Morgan State returns to action on Sunday, Oct. 12, when it plays host to Delaware State in a MEAC match at 3 p.m. at Hill Field House.
