Match 24 (MEAC Contest)
Friday, Oct. 28, 2022
Morgan State (3-20, 2-7 MEAC) vs. Howard (14-7, 7-1 MEAC)
BALTIMORE, Md. | Hill Field House | 6 p.m.
 
BALTIMORE, Md. (Oct. 25, 2022)--The Morgan State volleyball team will look for its first two-match winning streak of the season, when it welcomes the defending Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) champion Howard Bison to Hill Field House this Friday, Oct. 28. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m. and will also be the Lady Bears' Dig Pink match.
 
BEAR CLAWS: Morgan State (3-20, 2-7 MEAC) ended its six-match losing streak with a 3-1 (29-31, 25-16, 25-10, 25-16) victory at South Carolina State this past Sunday. Madison Grace recorded a double-double with a match-high 14 kills and 10 digs. Jordan Page fell short of a double-double with 13 kills and nine digs, while Trinity Carruthers finished with a match-best 34 assists to go with seven digs and two kills. Alyssa Sampson tallied a match-high 14 digs and Tyasia McDuffie added 11. Jadyn Perkins led the Lady Bears with a team-high three blocks, including one solo to go with nine kills.
 
BISON HOOVES: Howard (14-7, 7-1 MEAC), winners of eight straight, defeated Maryland Eastern Shore in its last outing, 3-1 on Oct. 23. Cimone Woodard tallied 12 kills, while Jennifer Bolden and Tamar Wells each added nine against the Hawks. Claire Simpson finished with 14 digs in the win and Kayla Diaz totaled 37 assists. Leah Reeves recorded seven service aces and Woodard added four. Woodward also collected a team-leading five blocks, including a solo.
 
SERIES NOTES: Friday's contest will mark the 83^rd meeting between the two rivals. Howard has won four straight over the Lady Bears, including this season's first contest, a 3-0 victory in Washington, D.C. (10/7) to even the all-time series at 41-41.
 
NEXT UP: Morgan State will travel to Norfolk, Va. to take on the Spartans of Norfolk State on Sunday, Oct. 30 at 1 p.m.
 
STILL PERFECT: Morgan State completed a season sweep of MEAC foe South Carolina State, following its 3-1 victory over the Bulldogs (10/23). The win was Morgan State's 27th straight victory over the Lady Bulldogs in as many meetings, keeping its unbeaten streak alive. S.C. State is the lone MEAC opponent that Morgan State has never lost to in program history.
 
JACKSON CLOSING IN ON 100 DIGS: Justyus Jackson recorded a block at North Carolina Central (10/21) and is now three blocks shy of reaching 100 for her career.

LET'S GO FIVE: Morgan State and North Carolina Central played five sets in the MEAC opener with the visiting Eagles defeating Morgan State 3-2. It was the second five-set contest this season for both teams. NCCU improved to 2-0 in five setters, while the Lady Bears fell to 1-1. Morgan's first five-setter of the season was a 3-2 non-conference win over Maryland Eastern Shore (9/16) at the George Mason Invitational.
 
ORTIZ TAKES OVER THE HELM: On May, 25, 2022, Xiomara Ortiz was announced as the new head coach of the Morgan State volleyball program. Ortiz, who became the seventh coach in program history, takes over for Ramona Riley-Bozier, who during her 34-year career captured nine MEAC regular season titles, four outright MEAC Tournament titles, guided the Lady Bears to three NCAA Tournament appearances, while becoming the school's all-time winningest coach in any sport with 481 victories. Ortiz comes to Morgan after spending a year as the assistant coach at Shippensburg University during the 2021 season and the previous three seasons as an assistant coach at Lehigh University. A native of South Setauket, N.Y., Ortiz had a stellar four-year career as a libero at Binghamton University, where she set the school records for single-season digs (551) and career digs (1,925) in 116 matches played. As a freshman, she earned America East All-Rookie honors and was named to the All-America East Second Team as a sophomore. She was also a three-time member of the America East Honor Roll.
 
MORGAN PICKED SEVENTH IN MEAC: Morgan State was picked to finish seventh in the eight-team Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) preseason poll, as voted by the league's head coaches and sports information directors. Last season the Lady Bears were picked to finish tied for fourth in the MEAC with Maryland Eastern Shore and ended up seventh.
 
COLEMAN NAMED ASSISTANT COACH: Maegan Coleman will enter her first season as an assistant coach at Morgan State for the 2022 season. Coleman comes to Morgan after spending the 2021 season as the head coach at Cheyney University. Prior to Cheyney, Coleman also had one-year stints at West Alabama and Lamar Community College. While at LCC, the team ranked 13th in the nation for block solos, 32nd in digs and 37th in service aces in 2019. A native of Lancaster, Texas, Coleman began her collegiate career at Tyler Junior College, before concluding her playing career at Prairie View A&M. She helped the Panthers win two Southwestern Athletic Conference Western Division titles. Coleman was awarded the Student-Athlete Academic Award three times, and was the first student-athlete from Prairie View A&M to earn a Nike Internship.
 
SAYING GOODBYE: Morgan State will say goodbye to its lone senior, Melanie Battle prior to its home finale 'Senior Night' match against rival Coppin State (11/11). The match will also be the Lady Bears' regular season finale.
 
2022 MEAC CHAMPIONSHIP: This year's MEAC Volleyball Championship will take place November 18-20 in Dover, Del. at Memorial Hall on the campus of Delaware State University.

 
 
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ABOUT MORGAN
Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified high research (R2) institution offering nearly 140 academic programs leading to degrees from the baccalaureate to the doctorate. As Maryland's Preeminent Public Urban Research University, and the only university to have its entire campus designated as a National Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Morgan serves a multiethnic and multiracial student body and seeks to ensure that the doors of higher education are opened as wide as possible to as many as possible. For more information about Morgan State University, visit www.morgan.edu.