Ashley Johnson collected 16 kills and eight digs against Providence.
Morgan State 3, Providence 2
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. (Aug. 26, 2011)-Morgan State head coach Ramona Riley-Bozier entered this season just two victories s shy of recording career win No. 375. The Lady Bears didn't make their coach wait long to reach her accomplishment, as they held off Providence, 3-2 (25-23, 19-25, 25-23, 15-25, 15-13) in their second match of the season in the La Salle Invitational on Friday evening at Tom Gola Arena.
While the victory gave Riley-Bozier (375-349), the winningest coach of all-time at Morgan State in any sport, her eluded 375th win it also gave the Lady Bears their first 2-0 start since the 1999 season.
Junior Ashley Johnson led a balanced attack by Morgan State, as four players recorded double digits in kills. Johnson tallied a team-leading 16 kills and added eight digs, while Janelle Wilson played well in the middle, totaling a career-high 12 kills and had a hitting percentage of .435. Nangeeshie Plaud notched her first double-double of her career with 11 kills and 10 digs and Erin Cox also chipped in with a double-double of 10 kills and tied Kierra Outlin for team high honors in digs with 17 digs. Ngebui (Natalie) Chafeh nearly recorded a triple-double, finishing with a career-high 47 assists, nine digs and eight kills.
Providence (0-2) was led by Lauren Fletcher, who finished with a match-high 19 kill, four digs and three blocks. Cassie Muzzonigro had a match-high 25 digs and Colleen McCollom added 14 digs. Carly Morrison totaled a team-high 29 assists and Anne Powers contributed 13.
The Friars held a 4.5-3.0 advantage in blocks and carried a .237 hitting percentage to Morgan State's .192. The Lady Bears did have 65 kills, including a set-high 19 in the third set. Providence finished with 54 kills and had set highs of 14 in the first and third sets.
Due to the anticipation of Hurricane Irene, the tournament schedule has been shortened. The La Salle campus will shut down by 11 a.m. on Saturday, thus Morgan State's contest against the host Explorers will be cancelled.
However, Morgan State's contest against Canisius, originally scheduled for Saturday, will now go on tonight at 10 p.m. Canisius also enters the match with a 2-0 record. The contest will mark the first time since August 30, 2003 that Morgan State will play three matches on the same day. Ironically, it was the 2003 La Salle Tournament.
