NORFOLK, Va. (August 1, 2023)-The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) released its preseason volleyball poll on Tuesday afternoon and Morgan State was picked to finish seventh as voted on by the league's head coaches and sports Information directors.
 
Coppin State, which reached the title match last year after sharing the regular-season crown with Howard, earned 112 points and nine first place votes to be selected in a tie with Howard as the MEAC Preseason favorite. The Bison received four first-place votes and also finished with 112 points to earn the tie.
 
Both Coppin State and Howard would place a league-best three players on the preseason team.
 
Reigning MEAC Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year, Rya McKinnon of Howard was selected as the MEAC Volleyball Preseason Player of the Year, presented by TowneBank.
 
Delaware State, which captured the 2022 championship crown, earned three first-place votes and 102 points for third place. Norfolk State was picked to finish fourth, totaling 77 points, while North Carolina Central (64 points) was fifth.
  
Maryland Eastern Shore (52 points), Morgan State (35 points) and South Carolina State (22 points), rounded out the predicted order of finish.
 
Last season the Lady Bears were also picked to finish seventh and concluded the 2022 campaign with a 3-26 overall mark and finished in seventh with a 2-12 record in the MEAC.
 
Morgan State, which will be guided by second-year head coach Xiomara Ortiz, returns eight letterwinners and five starters from last year's team. In addition, the Lady Bears will welcome eight newcomers this year.
 
The Lady Bears begin the season on the road in Blacksburg, Va., taking part in the Hokie Invitational (Aug. 25-26). Morgan State will visit host Virginia Tech on Friday, August 25 at 12:30 p.m. before ending the day against Furman at 4:30 p.m. MSU will conclude the tournament on Saturday with a single contest against Quinnipiac at 12:30 p.m.
 
Morgan's home opener will take place on Thursday, Aug. 31 against rival Towson at 6 p.m. in the opener of the Morgan/Towson Invitational (Aug. 31-Sept. 3) at Hill Field House.
 
The 2023 MEAC slate gets underway on Friday, Sept. 22 in Princess Anne, Md. against Maryland Eastern Shore. The Lady Bears' annual homecoming contest will take place on Friday, Oct. 6 when they welcome Howard to Hill Field House.
 
The MEAC Volleyball Championship will take place in Dover, Del. at Delaware State's Memorial Hall Nov. 17-19.
 
The MEAC Strategic Communications office contributed to this release.
 
2023 MEAC Volleyball Preseason Predicted Order of Finish
(first-place votes in parenthesis)
 
School
T-1. Coppin State (9), 112 pts.
T-1. Howard (4), 112 pts.
3. Delaware State (3), 102 pts.
4. Norfolk State, 77 pts.
5. North Carolina Central, 64 pts.
6. Maryland Eastern Shore, 52 pts.
7. Morgan State, 35 pts.
8. South Carolina State, 22 pts.
 
2023 MEAC Volleyball Preseason Team
Preseason Player of the Year: Rya McKinnon, Howard
 

Name	Pos.	Cl.	School	Hometown
Ashley Roman	L/DS	r-Sr.	Coppin State	Isabela, Puerto Rico
Andrea Tsvetanova	S	r-Sr.	Coppin State	Sofia, Bulgaria
Ammaarah Williams	MB/OH	Gr.	Coppin State	Cleveland, Ohio
Alondra Maldonado	OH	Sr.	Delaware State	Patillas, Puerto Rico
Jennifer Bolden	OH	Sr.	Howard	Los Angeles, Calif.
Kayla Diaz	S	Gr.	Howard	Nanuet, N.Y.
Rya McKinnon	OH	So.	Howard	Bessemer, Ala.

 

About the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference 
The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) is in its 53rd year of intercollegiate competition with the 2023-24 academic school year. Located in Norfolk, Va., the MEAC is made up of eight outstanding historically black institutions across the Atlantic coastline: Coppin State University, Delaware State University, Howard University, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Morgan State University, Norfolk State University, North Carolina Central University and South Carolina State University.
 
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ABOUT MORGAN
Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified doctoral research institution offering more than 100 academic programs leading to degrees from the baccalaureate to the doctorate. As Maryland's Preeminent Public Urban Research University, 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.