BALTIMORE, Md. (Oct. 31, 2021)-Morgan State hit .412 as a team and had three players reach double figures in kills, as the Lady Bears swept Norfolk State, 3-0 (25-16, 27-25, 25-16) on Sunday afternoon in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) match at Hill Field House.
 
Morgan State improved to 5-20, 3-8 in the MEAC, while Norfolk State fell to 7-15, 3-8 in the MEAC). The win was the Lady Bears' second straight victory at home.
 
Gabriela Hiciano finished with a match-high 14 kills, hit .407 and added nine digs, while Madison Grace recorded 12 kills. Makila Billingsley totaled 10 kills on 15 attempts with just one error to hit .600 for the match. Mackenzie Jefferson notched a double-double with a match-high 36 assists and had a team-high 10 digs.
 
Morgan State hit .419 in the opening set and finished with 15 kills. Billingsley led the way recording five of her 10 kills in the first set and Grace added four kills. Norfolk State pulled within 15-13 on a kill by Shonte Seale, but the hosts scored five straight to increase its lead to 20-13, capped off with an assisted block by Jasmin Perry and Hiciano. Morgan would go on to win 25-16.
 
In Set 2, Morgan State recorded 19 kills and hit for .474, both set highs. Hiciano and Grace each had a set-high six kills. The Spartans would record 15 kills and hit .257 in the set. Norfolk State scored the first four points, but Morgan State used a 6-2 run to even the score at 6-6. There would be a total of eight more ties with the last coming at 25 all, following a kill from Taylor Eichelberger. The Lady Bears would close out the set with a kill from Hiciano, followed by an attack error by the Spartans to give Morgan the 27-25 victory and 2-0 lead.
 
Morgan State broke a 4-4 tie in the third set by scoring the next five points in the midst of an 11-3 run to take a 15-7 lead, capped off by a kill by Grace. The Lady Bears ended the contest with a kill by Billingsley to give the hosts a 25-16 victory. Morgan State finished with 14 kills on 28 attempts and five errors for .321. The Spartans finished with nine kills and had six errors for an attack percentage of .103.
 
The Spartans were led by Paola Matos, who finished with 10 kills and hit .562, while Seale added nine kills. Caris Cross tallied 31 assists and Nicole Rodriguez collected a match-high 11 digs.
 
Morgan State out blocked Norfolk State, 5.0-3.0 on Sunday. Perry led Morgan State with a match-high three assisted blocks and Billingsley added two total blocks, including one solo. Matos led the visiting Spartans with two solo blocks.  
 
The Lady Bears will travel North to Dover, Del. to take on Delaware State in a MEAC match on Friday, Nov. 5. First serve is at 6 p.m. at Memorial Hall.