BLACKSBURG, Va. (Aug. 25, 2023)--Ava Auguston tallied a match-high 15 kills and Mary Beth Headley added 11, as Furman concluded Day 1 of the Hokie Invitational with a 3-0 (25-20, 25-18, 25-14) defeat of Morgan State on Friday evening at Cassell Coliseum on the campus of Virginia Tech.
 
Furman improved to 2-0 with the win, while the Bears fell to 0-2 on the season.
 
Ella Abraham finished with 33 assists and seven digs, while Kennedy Seekford had a match-high 12 digs. Headley fell short of a double-double, finishing with nine digs.
 
The Bears' Makila Billingsley recorded six kills and Jordan Page tallied five kills, five digs and two service aces. Erin Carpenter recorded 17 assists and had seven digs.
 
As a team, Furman hit .333, recording 48 kills on 99 attempts and 15 attack errors. Grainne McGrath notched a match-best .444 hitting percentage. The Paladins hit at least .300 in all three sets, including a high of .375 in the third set, earning a high of 19 kills to close out the match.
 
The Bears were limited to an attack percentage of .056 and finished with 24 kills. Morgan State out blocked Furman 6.0-2.0 for the match. Jada Williams totaled a match-high three assisted blocks, while Justyus Jackson also had three blocks, including a solo block. Carpenter and Page recorded two blocks each.
 
Morgan State will wrap up the tournament on Saturday, Aug. 26 with a 12:30 p.m. contest against Quinnipiac. The Bobcats (0-2) dropped a 3-2 decision to Furman in their opener, before falling to Virginia Tech, 3-0 in the nightcap.
 
 
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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.