Box Score TUSCON, Ariz. (Aug. 30, 2013)-Jane Croson recorded 10 kills, while Nicholson tallied a match-high 14 digs to lead host Arizona to a 3-0 (25-8, 25-6, 25-13) non-conference win over Morgan State in the opener of the Arizona Invitational on Friday afternoon at McKale Center. The match was the season opener for both teams and marked the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
Madi Kingdon fell shy of a double-double, finishing with nine kills and 10 digs, while Penina Snuka also added 10 digs and had a match-high 28 assists.
Morgan State was led offensively by
Dinah Jones and
Janelle Wilson, who both notched five kills. Wilson, a native of Avondale, Ariz., who was playing in her first collegiate match in her home state, had a team-high hitting percentage of .444 and also tallied a dig and a block.
Natalie Chafeh finished with 15 assists, eight digs and a block, while
Samantha Prescott totaled eight digs for the Lady Bears.
Tamara Leslie recorded a team-high nine digs.
The Lady Bears (0-1) seemed to settle down in the third and final set, when they scored nine of their match-high 16 kills in that frame. But the squad would commit seven kills in the set as well. Morgan State would finish with 22 attack errors and had a percentage of -.066.
Arizona (1-0) finished with 39 kills and had seven errors for a .360 hitting percentage. Led by Rachel Rhoades and Shaquillah Torres, who each recorded three blocks, the Wildcats held a 7.0-1.0 block advantage over Morgan State.
The Lady Bears will next face No. 20 Kansas on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. PST, before closing out the tournament against Central Arkansas at 4:30 p.m. PST.
The match-up against Kansas will mark the first-time Morgan State has faced a top 25 team since it dropped a 3-0 decision to ninth-ranked California (9/3/05). That match was played during the Texas State Tournament in San Marcos, Texas.
