NEW ORLEANS, La. (Sept. 7, 2018)-The Morgan State Lady Bears trailed 14-8 in the fifth and final set on Friday evening to Jackson State and was a point away from blowing a 2-0 sets lead over the Lady Tigers. But in a matter of moments, Morgan State would find away to get it done, scoring nine of the last 10 points to come-from-behind and defeat Jackson State, 3-2 (25-14, 25-22, 21-25, 25-22, 17-15) in the New Orleans Invitational at the Human Performance Center.

The win would help the Lady Bears (4-5) to opening day victories over members of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), as they improved to 2-0 against Jackson State and remained perfect against the SWAC at 9-0 all-time. Earlier in the day Morgan State defeated Prairie View A&M in three sets.

"We dominated over Jackson State in the first and second matches and took our foot off the pedal," said Morgan State head coach Ramona Riley-Bozier. "We allowed them to dominate the third and fourth sets and the start of the fifth set, but I saw a lot of fight in the team.

"We had one of our best servers, Roi Wallace serving and she was able to hit every zone given to her, which got us back in the game and take a 15-14 lead. I could see the fight in each athletes face. They were determined to win and it all worked out for us. It's nice to be on the road and pick-up two wins."

"The match was definitely emotional and it took a lot of heart to do what we did," said Wallace. "Of course it's always better to win in three, but I'm proud that we pulled out a win regardless.

"I think only a couple of us knew about being undefeated against them, but I think that's what made it more emotional," added Wallace on Morgan State's unbeaten streak against the SWAC. "Everyone wants to keep a win streak."

Cristen Coryatt led the Lady Bears with a double-double of 18 kills and 16 digs, both team highs. Zoe McBride also recorded a double-double, finishing with 17 kills and 12 digs. Jasmin Hubbard collected a team-high 16 digs and Roi Wallace had a match-high 41 assists, eight digs and a match-high four service aces.

As a team the Lady Bears out blocked Jackson State, 16.0-6.0 for the match. Monette Daniels, who set a career-high seven blocks earlier in the day against Prairie View A&M, would set another career high with eight. Kalysia Bates also had eight blocks, including a solo, while Kheanna Landrum finished with six blocks and Coryatt added four. It would be Morgan State's ability to block the Lady Tiger's hitters that provided offense for Morgan State when it needed it most.

"I had to show them 'The Morgan Way'," said Daniels. "I felt my offense wasn't there, so I had to step up on the defensive end so I could help bring the energy to the court. Once we start blocking good, I feel that's when the power comes on offense and we become unstoppable."

Trailing 14-8 in Set 5, Wallace would get a kill to make it 14-9. Wallace, who would serve on Morgan State's next six points, recorded an ace to make it a 14-10 contest. The Lady Bears then went to work by way of the block. Landrum and Daniels teamed up on the next two points and Coryatt and Daniels partnered for the final of three straight blocks to cut the deficit to a point at 14-13. With Wallace still serving, Coryatt would then record back-to-back kills to give the Lady Bears a 15-14 lead and cap off a 7-0 run by Morgan State.

"My main thought while serving was to just serve aggressive but controlled," said Wallace on her seven consecutive serves. "I knew that if I could send over something tough we would be in a better position to win rallies and finish the game. Our defense and blocking helped out big time and that's ultimately what kept me serving."

With the score tied at 15 all, Jackson State would get called for a ball handling error, giving the Lady Bears a 16-15 lead. Morgan State, who combined for 21 of their 31 blocks for the match in the final two sets, would fittingly end the contest with a block from Daniels and McBride to complete the comeback and give Morgan State a 17-15 victory.

"Blocking has been one of the team weaknesses, especially Monette [Daniels]. We worked on blocking this week and modified our blocking scheme throughout the match, which paid off," said Riley-Bozier. "Monette did a good job and to put up a career-high eight blocks speaks to her commitment to improve in this skill. Also, Kheanna Landrum didn't give us much offense, but her blocking is what the doctor ordered in the fifth set. She was solid in the front row on defense. With her blocks, that helped Morgan come from behind and win the fifth set."

Morgan State will return to action on Saturday, Sept. 8, when they take on Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Southern Division foe, Bethune-Cookman in a non-conference match at 10 a.m. EST.  

The Wildcats have won the last three meetings against Morgan State, shutting the Lady Bears out each time. Two of those meetings (2015, 2016) Bethune-Cookman eliminated the Lady Bears from the MEAC Volleyball Championships. Morgan State's last win over the Wildcats was a 3-0 victory on Oct. 22, 2012 in Baltimore.

"Beating Bethune would mean so much to us," said Wallace. "It would mean we're one step closer to winning this tournament, but it also puts us in a good position to see where we are against MEAC teams. Although we don't play them in the northern division, it would give us a good idea of how we match up against teams we could potentially see at the MEAC Tournament."

Daniels added, "Beating Bethune-Cookman will be Big! It'll give us that confidence that we can beat anyone in the MEAC. But of course we still need to work hard everyday."