Jourdan Lemons (9) finished with 17 assists, while Shaundalyn Taylor added two kills and tied a career-high with five blocks.
Morgan State 0, Delaware State 3
DOVER, Del. (Nov. 5, 2010)-The Morgan State volleyball team entered Friday night's contest against the host Hornets in desperate need of a victory, following a three-match losing skid, which the Lady Bears lost all three matches at home. Morgan State came into the match in sole possession of fourth-place in the league standings and a victory would help increase its chances of advancing to the upcoming MEAC Volleyball Tournament.
The last time the two teams met the Lady Bears lost a hard fought battle in five sets to Delaware State. This time Delaware State proved to be too much for Morgan State, as the host Hornets defeated the Lady Bears 3-0 (25-19, 25-18, 25-22) in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) North Division match at Memorial Hall.
Erica Tajchman tallied a match-high 13 kills and added 12 digs to record a double-double and Elisa Hermann added 10 kills for Delaware State, which improved to 13-11 overall and 6-2 in the MEAC to maintain its hold of second-place in the league standings. Martina Gerrari finished with 36 assists.
Morgan State (5-19, 3-6 MEAC) was led by Erin Cox, who notched a team-high 11 kills. Jourdan Lemons finished with 17 assists and Dina Beamon led the Lady Bears with six digs.
Morgan State fell behind early in the first set, trailing 6-0. The host Hornets extended their advantage to 18-9, before the Lady Bears scored four straight on the serve of Ashley Johnson to pull within, 13-18. The Lady Bears would get within 19-21, but Delaware State regrouped and eventually closed out the set with a block assist by Brooke Redmon and Tajchman to take the 25-19 victory.
In the second set the Lady Bears took a 3-1 lead, before both teams began trading points back-and-forth. The Hornets broke an 8-8 tie and used a 6-1 run to take a 14-9 lead. The hosts would extend their lead to 23-16, before going on to win 25-18.
Morgan State opened up the third set scoring the first five points and held a 6-2 lead, before the Hornets got within 7-4. Morgan State pushed its lead to 14-9, but the Hornets would respond, using a 7-1 spurt to take a 16-15 lead. The teams would trade points and Delaware State took a 22-21 lead, forcing a Morgan State timeout. Morgan State would tie the set at 22 all, but the Hornets scored the final three points to earn the 25-22 victory.
Delaware State, which recorded a hitting percentage of .330, finished with 46 kills out of 91 attempts and committed 16 errors, while Morgan State finished with a hitting percentage of .089 with 24 kills on 79 attempts and 17 errors.
Morgan State did hold the lead in service aces (7-3), with Lemons, Beamon and Johnson recording two each. The Lady Bears also held a 9-5 advantage in blocks. Shaundalyn Taylor and Dominique Bozier led the way with five blocks apiece.
The Lady Bears conclude the 2010 regular season on Sunday, Nov. 7, when they play host to Hampton in a must win match in order to advance to the MEAC Tournament. The Lady Pirates (7-22, 3-6 MEAC) defeated Howard on Friday, 3-1 in Hampton and are now tied with Morgan State for the fourth and final spot in the MEAC North Division. Sunday's match will mark “Senior Night” for three Lady Bears (Shaundalyn Taylor, Cheryl Savoy and Dominique Bozier). First serve is slated for 5 p.m. at Hill Field House.
