BALTIMORE, Md. (Sept. 28, 2016)-When the Morgan State volleyball team takes the court on Thursday evening for its Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Northern Division contest against Beltway rival Howard, it will mark the second consecutive season that the two teams will meet for sole possession of first in the league standings.
Just like last season, both Howard and Morgan State enter the contest 2-0 in MEAC play, having defeated the same two teams as last season. Morgan State would win the meeting last season, before the Lady Bison would regroup to win their next 13 contests, including the rematch against Morgan State, en route to claiming both the northern division title and the tournament championship.
Howard (12-5, 2-0 MEAC) enters the match with a home win over UMES and a road victory at Delaware State last weekend, while the Lady Bears picked up two home victories over Hampton and Norfolk State.
The Lady Bison, who are off to their best start under head coach Shaun Kupferberg since he took over in 2012, have put together some signature wins this season. Howard opened up the season winning the DC Challenge with wins over George Mason, Georgetown and American and then went five sets on the road at Notre Dame.
The Lady Bison then defeated George Mason again and earned a road win at Penn on the same day and eventually win the Penn Invitational with a perfect 4-0 record, as part of a season-long six-match winning streak. Howard concluded the winning streak with its first-ever win over an Atlantic Coast Conference opponent, when it knocked off Clemson during the Penn State Classic.
Howard has been paced by Khaila Donaldson, who is averaging a team-leading 251 kills (3.98 kills per set and leads the team in service aces with 21. Jessica Young has accounted for 126 kills. Tamia Dockery leads the squad with 591 assists and Morgan Marlbrough has collected 264 digs.
Morgan State (2-14, 2-0 MEAC), which is coming off a 3-1 victory over Norfolk State on Sunday, has been led by
Natashia Barker's 138 kills (2.71 kps), while
Haley McClure has recorded 106 kills (2.12 kps) and leads the Lady Bears with 11 service aces. Jasmine Hubbard has a team-leading 3.16 digs per outing, while
Roi Wallace leads the team in assists with 354 (7.22 aps).
Keana Browne leads Morgan State with 26 blocks, while
Victoria Turnbough and
Monette Daniels have 23 blocks apiece.
The Lady Bears lead the all-time series against Howard, 36-30 after the two teams split last season's series, each winning on their home floor. The two teams will meet for a second time on Friday, Nov. 4 at 7 p.m. at Burr Gymnasium in Washington, D.C. It will be the regular season finale for Howard.
