FAIRFAX, Va. (Sept. 16, 2022)--The Morgan State volleyball team ended a 15-match losing skid dating back to last season with a thrilling 3-2 (25-23, 23-25, 19-25, 25-18, 16-14) come-from-behind non-conference victory over fellow Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) foe Maryland Eastern Shore (MDES) on Friday evening in the opener of the George Mason Invitational at the Recreations Athletic Complex.
 
Morgan State improved to 1-11 on the season, while Maryland Eastern Shore dropped its third straight and fell to 2-6.
 
The win, which put a stop to an 0-11 start this season, will not count towards the MEAC standings. The victory also put to rest a three-match losing slid to the Hawks and gave first-year Morgan State head coach Xiomara Ortiz, her first collegiate coaching victory of her career.
 
Makila Billingsley tied a career-high 16 kills and Justice Jackson added 10 kills to pace the offense. Defensively, Alyssa Sampson recorded a match-best 12 digs, while serving up a career- and match-high seven aces. Mackenzie Jefferson totaled 24 assists, four aces and five digs.

Behind Jackson's career- and match-high seven combined blocks, including a solo, the Lady Bears held a 13-10 blocking advantage over MDES. Jourdan Page (eight kills, five digs, two aces) and Billingsley each added four blocks, including a solo apiece.
 
After splitting the first two sets by identical 25-23 scores, the Hawks took a 2-1 lead by picking up a 25-19 victory in Set 3. After falling behind 6-0, Morgan State pulled within 9-7 using a 3-0 run. The Hawks would respond with a 7-0 spurt to extend their lead to 16-7. Morgan got within three points twice, with the last coming at 20-17 after a kill from Billingsley. But that would be as close as the Lady Bears would get, as MDES closed out the set with a 5-2 run.
 
Having dropped two consecutive sets after winning the opening one, the Lady Bears would respond by claiming the final two sets for the victory. In Set 4, it was Morgan State using a 7-0 run, capped off by back-to-back service aces from Sampson to jump out to an 8-2 lead. A kill from Charlize Williams brought the Hawks within a point at 12-11, but Morgan scored three quick points to increase its advantage to 15-11. MDES made one last push and cut the deficit to 17-15, but the Lady Bears scored five straight points to trigger a 7-1 run to go up 24-16. Morgan would take the set 25-18 on a service error by the Hawks to force a fifth and decisive set.
 
The two teams traded the first seven points of the fifth set, until the Hawks used a 4-0 run to take a 7-4 lead. Morgan then scored three straight, the last two coming on service aces by Jefferson, to even the score at 7-7. In a set, which had 11 ties and four lead changes, Williams would break a 13 all tie with a kill to put the Hawks up one. Morgan State would regroup to score the final three points for the win. Jackson evened the score with a kill and the Lady Bears went up 15-14 on a ball handling error on the Hawks. Morgan sealed the deal on an assisted block by Melanie Battle (three blocks) and Page to give the Lady Bears their first win of the season.
 
The Hawks were led by Derionah Abner, who finished with 16 kills, while Nkemjika Ikemefuna added 13. Sophia Chacon tallied a double-double with a match-high 27 assists and 11 digs. Williams, who hit for a match-best .426 with eight kills, recorded a team-high four combined blocks.
 
MDES finished the contest with 61 kills to 44 for Morgan State. However, the Hawks were done in by 36 attack errors and had 10 service errors and five aces. Despite committing 11 service errors, Morgan State had a season-high 14 service aces.
 
Morgan State returns to action on Saturday, Sept. 17 for Day 2 of the George Mason Invitational when it meets New Hampshire at 11 a.m. The Lady Bears will close out the tournament against host George Mason at 6 p.m. live on ESPN+. All contests will be played at the Recreation Athletic Complex on the George Mason campus.

 
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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.