Morgan Game Notes
BALTIMORE, Md. (Aug. 24, 2023)--The Morgan State volleyball team kicks off the 2023 campaign on the road this weekend when it travels to Blacksburg, Va. for the Hokie Invitational (Aug. 25-26), hosted by Virginia Tech. The season gets underway on Friday, Aug. 25, when the Bears face Virginia Tech in the opener at 12:30 p.m. The match will be live on ACC Network Extra. Morgan State will conclude the day when it takes on Furman at 4:30 p.m. The Bears will be back in action on Saturday with a single match at 12:30 p.m. against Quinnipiac to close out the tournament. Only the contest against Virginia Tech will air
here on ACC Network Extra. Live stats will be available
here for all matches.
MSU AGAINST THE FIELD: This will be the fourth meeting between Morgan State and host Virginia Tech with the Hokies holding a 3-0 advantage. Furman and Morgan have met just once before with the Paladins claiming the victory. The finale against Quinnipiac will mark the eighth meeting between the two programs with the Bobcats holding a 4-3 advantage.
NEXT UP: The Bears will return home next weekend when they co-host the Morgan/Towson Invitational (Aug. 31-Sept. 3). All of Morgan State's matches will be played at home at Hill Field House. Morgan State will open the tournament and its home opener against crosstown rival Towson on Thursday, Aug. 31 at 6 p.m. On Friday, Dartmouth will take on Temple at 11 a.m. at Hill Field House, before the Bears host Dartmouth at 6 p.m. On Saturday, Morgan State will face FDU (Fairleigh Dickinson) at 1 p.m., before taking on Rider at 6 p.m. The Bears will close out the tournament on Sunday, with a match against Temple at 1 p.m.
OPENING SERVE: Morgan State is 9-21 in season openers since the 1993 season, after falling on the road last season in three sets at Charlotte (8/26). The Bears' last opening day victory was a 3-2 win at home against Seton Hall in the opener of the Morgan/Towson Invitational (8/30/19).
FOLLOW THE LADY BEARS ON TWITTER: Morgan volleyball fans can follow the Bears on Twitter. Check out regular updates on the team which will feature live tweets from games and on road trips. To follow the Morgan State Athletics Twitter page visit Twitter.com/MorganStBears.
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 Bears were also picked to finish seventh.
LAST WHISTLE: Morgan State concluded the 2022 season with a 3-0 loss to Howard (11/18) in the quarterfinal round of the MEAC Championship in Dover, Del.
Justyus Jackson led the Bears with a team-high nine kills, while
Madison Grace added eight.
Mackenzie Jefferson finished with 21 assists and
Alyssa Sampson tallied 13 digs.
BILLINGSLEY, JACKSON NAMED AS LEADERSHIP COUNCIL: Seniors
Makila Billingsley and
Justyus Jackson have been named as this season's leadership council. A native of Plainfield, N.J., Billingsley recorded a team-leading 2.35 kills and averaged 0.35 digs and 0.38 blocks per set a year ago. She ranked ninth in the MEAC in kills and was named to the MEAC Volleyball All-Academic Team. Jackson ranked 10
th in the MEAC in hitting percentage and blocks last season. The Davenport, Iowa native averaged 1.43 kills and 0.30 digs per set and was named the team's MVP. She ranks 17 all-time at Morgan in blocks with 103 for her career. Jackson, who was a first-team Morgan State All-Academic selection, was named to the MEAC Commissioner's All-Academic Team and earned MEAC Volleyball All-Academic Team honors.
IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME: Morgan State will end two 30-plus hiatuses against two Maryland schools this season. The Bears will face Notre Dame of Maryland on Sept. 13 at Hill Field House. It will be the first meeting between the two teams since prior to the 1990 season (records are unavailable). It will be the eighth meeting between the two programs. Morgan State will also host in-state foe Bowie State on Sept. 19, ending a 32-year hiatus between the two Maryland HBCUs. It will be the third all-time meeting, with both previous contests coming during the 1991 season.
SOMEONE NEW: Morgan State will square off against three first-time opponents this season. The Bears will host Dartmouth (9/1) in the Morgan/Towson Invitational and will meet host Columbia (9/9), followed by Manhattan (9/9) in the Columbia Tournament.
POSTSEASON EXPERIENCE: Morgan State will face four opponents this season (Delaware State, FDU, Towson and Quinnipiac), who reached the 2022 NCAA Volleyball Tournament. Morgan will take on Quinnipiac in the finale of the Hokie Invitational on Aug. 26. The Bears will face both crosstown rival Towson Tigers on Aug. 31 at 6 p.m. and FDU on Sept. 2 at 1 p.m. in the Morgan/Towson Invitational. The Bears and MEAC foe Delaware State will meet twice this season on each other's home floor. The two will first meet on Sept. 24 in Baltimore and again on Oct. 22 in Dover, Del.
LOOKING TO STAY UNBEATEN: Morgan State will look to add to its perfect record and remain unbeaten against non-conference foe Bowie State and fellow MEAC member South Carolina State. The Bears, who haven't played against Division II Bowie State since the 1991 campaign, are 2-0 against the Bulldogs. Morgan will close out its non-conference slate when its hosts Bowie State for Education Day on Sept. 19. The Bears also enter this season with a 27-0 all-time record against the Lady Bulldogs of South Carolina State. Morgan State and S.C. State will first meet on Sunday, Oct. 1 in Orangeburg, S.C., before facing each other again on Sunday, Oct. 29 in Baltimore, Md.
TOURNAMENT EXPOSURE: The Bears will again take part in four regular season tournaments this year. Following the season opening Hokie Invitational (Aug. 25-26), Morgan State will return home to co-host the Morgan/Towson Invitational (Aug. 31-Sept. 3) against Towson, Dartmouth, FDU, Rider and Temple. Next will be a trip to New York for the Columbia Tournament (Sept. 8-9) against Rutgers, host Columbia and Manhattan. Morgan will conclude its tournament action with another trip to New York when it visits both Ithaca and Syracuse for the Cornell Invitational/Syracuse Tournament (Sept. 15-16). The Bears will take on Cornell in the opener and will close out against Syracuse.
11 NAMED TO MEAC ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM: Morgan State had 11 players named to the MEAC Volleyball All-Academic Team during the 2021-22 school year. Seven of the 11 recognized,
Makila Billingsley,
Trinity Carruthers,
Londyn Coles,
Gabriela Hiciano,
Justyus Jackson,
Jourdan Page and
Alyssa Sampson return for the 2023 season.
WELCOME TO THE CAVE: Morgan State welcomes the addition of eight newcomers to the 2023 squad, three transfers:
Erin Carpenter (Brookhaven, Ga.);
Ainara Fernandes (Belo Horizonte, Brazil) and
Ellis Spencer (Mississippi Valley State) and five freshmen,
Biko Hollie (Los Angeles, Calif.);
Mya Karrick (Shorewood, Minn.);
Tiffany Moore (Germantown, Md.);
Tyrah Weems (Virginia Beach, Va.) and
Jada Williams (Fredericksburg, Va.).
SAYING GOODBYE: Morgan State will say goodbye to five seniors,
Makila Billingsley,
Erin Carpenter,
Justyus Jackson,
Jourdan Page and
Alyssa Sampson prior to its home finale 'Senior Day' match against Norfolk State (11/5).
2023 MEAC CHAMPIONSHIP: This year's MEAC Volleyball Championship will take place November 17-19 in Dover, Del. at Memorial Hall on the campus of Delaware State University.
FOLLOW MORGAN STATE ATHLETICS IN CYBERSPACE
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• Visit
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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.
