ORANGEBURG, S.C. (Oct. 1, 2023)-Makila Billingsley recorded a match-high 15 kills and Ainara Fernandes and Jada Williams each added 12, as Morgan State picked up a 3-1 (25-20, 25-15, 23-25, 25-13) Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) victory on the road at South Carolina State on Sunday afternoon at Dukes Gymnasium.
 
With the win, Morgan State (6-13, 1-3 MEAC) ended a three-match losing skid and continued its dominance over South Carolina State, improving to 28-0 all-time against the Lady Bulldogs. S.C. State fell to 0-17 on the season, 0-4 in the MEAC.
 
Williams, whose 12 kills are a season-high, hit a match-best .579, while Billingsley hit .444 and Fernandes hit .407, to lift Morgan State to a .274 hitting percentage as a team.
 
Trinity Carruthers led the Bears with 25 assists and Erin Carpenter finished with 19. Gabriela Hiciano recorded a match-high 13 digs. Morgan State would finish the contest with 51 kills and had 49 assists. The Bears tallied 14 service aces, but also committed 12 service errors. Fernandes led the way with a match-high eight aces and Alyssa Sampson added five.
 
South Carolina State was paced by Kiyah Felder, who hit .306 and had a match-high 15 kills. Kaia Bennett had a match-high 29 assists and Trinity Stevenson collected 12 digs. 
 
The host Lady Bulldogs out blocked Morgan State 9.0-6.0. Felder led S.C. State with four blocks, including a match-high three solo blocks. McKinley Roach also had four blocks, including two solos. Williams led Morgan with three blocks, including two solos.     
 
The Bears will welcome Beltway rival Howard to Hill Field House on Friday, Oct. 6 for their annual homecoming match at 6 p.m. The Bison (7-9, 3-1 MEAC are coming off a sweep of Maryland Eastern Shore on Sunday at home.                                                   
 
 
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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.