Bear Shots

NEWARK, Del. (Aug. 25, 2018)-The Morgan State volleyball team picked up its first set victory of the season on Saturday night, however the Lady Bears would fall, 3-1 (25-23, 16-25, 16-25, 22-25) to Villanova in their final match of the Delaware Classic at Bob Carpenter Center.

Freshman Zoe McBride totaled 14 kills and had 17 digs, both team highs, to lead the Lady Bears in the loss. McBride, who was one of three Morgan players to finish with a double-double, would also add a match-high three service aces. Senior Cristen Coryatt added a double-double with 11 kills and 14 digs, while junior Roi Wallace tallied 38 assists and 11 digs. Junior Jasmin Hubbard finished with 16 digs and sophomore Kalysia Bates added 11 kills, while hitting for a team-best .281.

As a team, Morgan State (0-3) would record 44 kills on 164 attempts to finish with a hitting percentage of .171. The Lady Bears would collect 74 digs. Morgan finished the match with eight service aces, while Villanova (2-0) totaled four. The Lady Bears also out blocked the Wildcats, 6-4.

The two teams would trade runs back-and-forth in the opening set, with included 11 ties and just four lead changes. Morgan State broke an 8-8 score with four straight points to take a 12-8 lead. The Wildcats would return the favor with four straight points of their own to even the score at 12. The Lady Bears then scored three straight points during a 6-2 spurt to take a 19-16 lead. Villanova would pull within a point three times, but the Lady Bears would never relinquish the lead again. Leading 24-22, two straight errors by the Lady Bears allowed Villanova to pull within a point at 24-23. But a McBride would put the Wildcats to rest with a kill to give Morgan State the 25-23 victory.

In Set 2, Morgan State got back-to-back kills by Monette Daniels and McBride to even the score at 11 apiece. However, Villanova would score six consecutive points to take a 17-11 advantage. Three times the Lady Bears would get within four points with the last coming at 20-16. But that's as close as they would get. The Wildcats would score the final five points for the 25-16 victory to tie the score at 1-1.

In Set 3, Villanova would never trails, as it scored the first three points and quickly jumped out to a 12-5 lead. Morgan State countered with six consecutive points, capped off by a block by Deja Lester and McBride to pull within 12-11. The two would trade points, but Morgan State could not even the score. Holding a one point advantage, Villanova would score four straight points to close out a 6-1 run and take a 20-14 lead. A kill by Coryatt made it a 21-16 contest, but Villanova close it out with four straight points for the 25-16 victory and a 2-1 lead over Morgan State.

The final set was another back-and-forth contest. Morgan State overcame a 4-1 deficit and took a 9-8 lead on a block by Bates and Wallace. The Lady Bears led 16-14 on a kill by Coryatt to cap off a 3-0 run. Villanova reclaimed the lead at 17-16 and later used another 3-0 run to take a 22-19 advantage. Morgan got a kill by McBride to cut the Wildcats' lead to 24-22, but Villanova's Mallory Potts ended the set and match with a kill for the 25-22 victory.

Villanova finished the match with 67 kills, 94 digs and 63 assists, with Emma Decker accounting for 43 of the assists. Clare Delaplane and Potts each had a team-high 16 kills, while Amanda Penerden-Henry added 11. Sarah Allman led the squad with a match-high 21 digs and Ashley Knight finished with 18. Anna Morse and Regan Lough each added 17 and 15 digs, respectively. 

The Lady Bears return to action on Wednesday, Aug. 29, when they have their home opener against Saint Peter's. First serve is at 2 p.m. at Hill Field House.