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BALTIMORE, Md. (Aug. 23, 2016)-The Morgan State volleyball team will kick off its 2016 campaign on the road this weekend (Aug. 26-27) when the squad travels to Philadelphia, Pa. to compete in the La Salle Invitational, hosted by La Salle University. The Lady Bears will begin the two-day tournament on Friday, Aug. 26 with a match-up against the host Explorers at noon, before closing out the opening day against New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) at 5 p.m. On Saturday the Lady Bears will face Saint Francis-Pa. at 10 a.m., before closing out the tournament with a 5 p.m. contest against Quinnipiac. All matches will be played at Tom Gola Arena on the La Salle campus.
 
MSU AGAINST THE FIELD: This will be the ninth meeting between Morgan State and host La Salle. The Explorers lead the all-time series 6-2. NJIT and the Lady Bears will be meeting for the third time, with both teams splitting the previous two contests. Morgan State holds a 5-3 all-time series lead over Saint Francis-Pa. and also holds a 3-2 advantage over Quinnipiac.
 
NEXT UP: The Lady Bears will travel to Michigan next weekend to take part in the Spartan Invitational (Sept. 3-4), hosted by Michigan State. It will be the program's first-ever trip to Michigan. The Lady Bears will face the host Spartans on Friday, Sept. 3 at noon, before meeting Florida at 4:30 p.m. Morgan State will close out the tournament with a match against Central Michigan on Saturday, Sept. 4 at 1 p.m.
 
OPENING SERVE: Morgan State is 8-15 in season openers since the 1993 season, after dropping last year's opener against Maryland (8/28) in the Maryland Invite. The Lady Bears, who have lost four consecutive season openers, last won on opening day in 2011 when they defeated Saint Peter's 3-0 at the La Salle Invitational (8/26/11).
 
MORGAN PICKED THIRD IN MEAC NORTH: Morgan State was picked to finish third in the northern division of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) preseason poll, as voted by the league's head coaches and sports information directors. Last year, the Lady Bears were picked to finish fourth and went 13-15 overall, 9-3 in the MEAC good for a second-place finish. Morgan State, which handed eventual MEAC champion, Howard its only league loss of the season, would reach the conference semifinal round for the first time since 2007.
 
MCCLURE NAMED 2016 CAPTAIN: Senior Haley McClure was named team captain for the 2016 season, as voted by her teammates. McClure, a two-year starter who has battled through injuries the past three years, recorded 123 kills, 110 digs, a team-leading 32 service aces, 12 assists and 15 blocks, while starting in 23 of the 28 matches played last season. A native of Ashburn, Va., McClure is a two-time first-team Morgan State All-Academic Team honoree and was a MEAC Commissioner's All-Academic Team selection as a sophomore. She is currently the vice president of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee at Morgan State.

SOMEONE NEW: Morgan State will square off against four first-time opponents this season. When the Lady Bears head to East Lansing, Mich. for the Spartan Invitational (Sept. 3-4), they will face all three of their opponents (Michigan State, Florida, Central Michigan) for the first time.  MSU will then take on Middle Tennessee for the first time, when the two programs meet in Richmond, Va. for the VCU Invitational (Sept. 15-16).
 
TOURNAMENT EXPOSURE: This season Morgan State will face five opponents (Michigan State, Florida, Robert Morris, American and Howard) which reached the 2015 NCAA Volleyball Tournament.
 
SEVEN NAMED TO MEAC ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM: Morgan State had seven players named to the MEAC Volleyball All-Academic Team during the 2015-16 school year. Three of the seven recognized (Michaela Collins, Minja Rankov and Shawnikia Smith) return for the 2016 season.
 
WELCOME TO THE CAVE: Morgan State will welcome the addition of five newcomers to the 2016 squad, three of which are freshman and two transfers. Those newcomers are freshmen Nnedi Oguayo (Beltsville, Md.), Jasmin Hubbard (Reno, Nevada) and Roi Wallace (San Dimas, Calif), and sophomore transfer, Natashia Barker (Phoenix, Ariz.) and junior transfer, Victoria Turnbough (Toledo, Ohio).  
 
SAYING GOODBYE: Morgan State will say goodbye to its two seniors, Haley McClure and Minja Rankov prior to its home finale 'Senior Day' match against Delaware State (10/30). The match will also serve as the Lady Bears' Dig Pink match. 
 
2016 MEAC CHAMPIONSHIP: This year's 2016 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference volleyball championship is scheduled for November 18-20 at the William P. Hytche Athletic Center on the campus of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore in Princess Anne, Md.