MSU Notes

BALTIMORE, Md. (Aug. 24, 2018)-The Lady Bears volleyball team opens up the 2018 campaign this weekend on the road when it competes in the Delaware Classic (Aug. 24-25) on the campus of the University of Delaware. Morgan State begins the season against La Salle on Friday, Aug. 24 at 3 p.m., before taking on the host Blue Hens at 7 p.m. The Lady Bears will close out the tournament on Saturday, Aug. 25 with a contest against Villanova at 7 p.m. All three matches will be played at the Bob Carpenter Center.
 
MSU AGAINST THE FIELD: The Lady Bears and La Salle will meet for the 10th time with the Explorers leading the all-time series, 7-2. Delaware leads the all-time series over Morgan State, 6-1, while Villanova is 3-0 all-time against the Lady Bears.
 
LAST WHISTLE: Morgan State concluded the 2017 season with a 3-1 loss to the Rattlers of Florida A&M in the quarterfinal round of the MEAC Volleyball Championship on Nov.17 in Princess Anne, Md.
 
NEXT UP: The Lady Bears will return home for its home opener against Saint Peter's on Wednesday, Aug. 29 at Hill Field House. First serve is at 2 p.m.
 
FOLLOW THE LADY BEARS ON TWITTER: Morgan volleyball fans can follow the Lady Bears on Twitter. Check out regular updates on the team which will feature live tweets from games and on road trips. To follow the Morgan State Athletics Twitter page visit Twitter.com/MorganStBears.
 
OPENING SERVE: Morgan State is 8-17 in season openers since the 1993 season, after it dropping a 3-0 decision to Wake Forest in last season's season opener in the Spartan-Demon Deacon Classic. The Lady Bears, who have lost six 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 third and went 8-18 overall, 7-5 in the MEAC good for a third-place finish.
 
MORGAN-COPPIN TO HOST CHARM CITY CLASSIC: This season the Lady Bears and crosstown rival Coppin State will co-host the 2018 Charm City Classic (Sept. 21-22). This will mark the first time the Lady Bears have hosted a tournament since 2012, when they hosted the Battle at the Bay Tournament. Morgan State will serve as host of the East bracket at Hill Field House, while Coppin State will host the West bracket at the Physical Education Complex. The Classic will match-up members of the MEAC Northern Division (Morgan, Coppin, Delaware State, Norfolk State) against the MEAC Southern Division (North Carolina A&T State, North Carolina Central, South Carolina State). Morgan State will square off against N.C. A&T State on Friday at 7 p.m. and will take on S.C. State on Saturday at 1 p.m.
 
UNBEATEN STREAKS ON THE LINE: Morgan State will look to extend its winning ways, as it enters the season unbeaten against four of its opponents: Niagara (12-0), Prairie View A&M (1-0), Jackson State (1-0) and South Carolina State (21-0). The Lady Bears will face Niagara on Aug. 31 in the Golden Flashes Classic and will meet both Prairie View A&M and Jackson State in the New Orleans Tournament on Sept. 7. Morgan State will play host to South Carolina State on Sept. 22 in the finale of the Charm City Classic at Hill Field House.
 
SOMEONE NEW: Morgan State will square off against one first-time opponent this season, in Purdue Fort Wayne. The Lady Bears and the Mastodons will square off on Aug. 31 in Kent, Ohio in the opener of the Golden Flashes Classic. First serve is at noon on the campus of Kent State University.

CAPTAINS ANNOUNCED: Seniors Monette Daniels and Cristen Coryatt were named as the 2018 captains, while juniors Roi Wallace and Jasmin Hubbard were named as co-captains.
 
BOZIER NINE SHY OF 450: Morgan State head coach Ramona Riley-Bozier enters the 2018 season nine wins shy of career victory No. 450. Riley-Bozier, who is the all-time winningest coach at Morgan State in any sport with 441 career victories as the volleyball coach, is also the softball program's all-time career leader with 161 victories in nine seasons at the helm.
 
FOUR NAMED TO MEAC ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM: Morgan State had four players named to the 2017 MEAC Volleyball All-Academic Team, based on their academic success during the 2016-17 school year. Two of the four recognized (Jasmin Hubbard and Roi Wallace) return for the 2018 season. Kheanna Landrum and Wallace were also named to the MEAC Commissioner's All-Academic Team for maintaining a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better during the 2017-18 academic year.
 
TOURNAMENT EXPOSURE: Morgan will face two opponents this season (American and Howard) that reached the NCAA Volleyball Tournament in 2017. The Lady Bears will host American on Oct. 17 in Baltimore and will face the three-time defending MEAC champion Howard Lady Bison on Sept. 28 in Washington, D.C. and again on Oct. 26 in Baltimore.
 
WELCOME TO THE CAVE: The Lady Bears welcome the addition of seven newcomers to the 2018 squad, six of which are freshman and  one sophomore transfer. Those newcomers are freshmen Sara Brown (Bowie, Md.), Nia Smith (Odenton, Md.), Zoe McBride (Ridgefield, Wash.), Morgan Eugene (Brandywine, Md.), Jasmin Perry (Bowie, Md.) and Brook Adams (Phoenix, Ariz.) along with sophomore transfer Kalysia Bates (Phenix, Ala.).
 
SAYING GOODBYE: Morgan State will say goodbye to four seniors, Shadae Debraux, Kheanna Landrum, Deja Lester and Cristen Coryatt prior to its regular season finale 'Senior Day' match against crosstown rival Coppin State on Nov. 4 at Hill Field House.
 
2018 MEAC CHAMPIONSHIP: This year's 2018 MEAC volleyball championship will take place November 16-18 in Washington, D.C. at Burr Gymnasium on the campus of the Howard University.