Ivanti Bush totaled a team-high 10 kills against UMBC in her first match of the season.
Boxscore
BALTIMORE, Md. (Sept. 25, 2008)-Morgan State's Ivanti Bush made her awaited return to the court and had a team-high 10 kills and added five digs, but it wasn't enough as Morgan dropped its home opener, 3-0 (25-14, 25-16, 25-18) to the University of Maryland-Baltimore Country in a non-conference match on Thursday night at Hill Field House.
With the loss, Morgan State (1-16) fell to 1-10 all-time against UMBC, while having its current losing streak extended to seven matches.
Bush, who had been sidelined all season while recovering from an injury, started the match and finished with a hitting percentage of .242 and added two assists for the Lady Bears in the loss. Camille Coleman added four kills a dig and a solo block, while Dina Beamon recorded a season- and match-high 14 digs. Christa Rogers chipped in with 17 assists, two kills and four digs.
The visiting Retrievers (10-6) were led by Alyssa Lang's match-high 14 kills, six digs and two service aces. Alexandria Spaay collected a match-high 35 assists, while Sarah Ball tied a match-high 14 digs and Pam Jarrett added 13 digs.
UMBC, which tallied 38 kills for a team hitting percentage of .271, notched 15 kills in the opening set for a hitting percentage of .400. Morgan State finished with 23 kills for the match, including a high set of nine in the third set for a .065 hitting percentage.
The Lady Bears held a 3-2 advantage in blocks with Dominique Bozier and Erica Turnbull each finishing with two kills.
Morgan State will now shift gears to Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference play, as it travels to Princess Anne, Md., to face defending MEAC North Division champion, the University of Maryland Eastern Shore on Friday, Oct. 3. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Hytche Center and will be the league opener for both teams.
