BALTIMORE, Md. (Sept. 17, 2023)--The Morgan State volleyball team returns home this Tuesday, Sept. 19 when it hosts Bowie State in the final non-conference matchup of the season. The contest gets underway at 11 a.m. at Hill Field House and will be Education Day at Morgan State. The match, which will be the third meeting between the two programs, will be the first since 1991, thus ending a 32-year hiatus.

A total of 430 youth students ranging from third to fifth grade, who attend schools within a five mile radius of Morgan State are expected to attend Tuesday's contest. The Morgan State men's and women's basketball teams will help to welcome the children upon their arrival. The goal is to initiate the positive environment that education brings to the youth's lives and expose them to HBCUs and local campuses in Maryland that are near them.
 
Events will include a campus tour, a question-and-answer session with Morgan State student-athletes and the youth will be taught the Bear chant and dance. Also, six elementary school students with the highest grade point averages will be a part of Morgan State's starting lineup and introduced during player introductions.

A second Education Day is scheduled for November 16, 2023 when the Morgan State women's basketball team takes on Notre Dame of Maryland.
 
MSU AGAINST BOWIE STATE: Morgan is 2-0 all-time against Bowie State. Both contests came during the 1991 season.

A LOOK AT THE BULLDOGS: Bowie State (1-10), a member of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA), enters the contest riding a four-match losing skid. The Division II Bulldogs dropped a 3-0 (25-17, 25-23, 25-18) decision to Glenville State on Saturday in the Bobcats Tournament hosted by West Virginia Wesleyan. Nadira Avery led Bowie with six kills and Madison Adderley-Julien led the way with six digs. Mekenna Scott led the team with 13 assists and Nina Edwards totaled a match-high seven blocks, including one solo.
  
NEXT UP: The Bears will turn their focus to Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) action, as they will open up league play on Friday, Sept. 22 when they travel to Princess Anne, Md. to face Maryland Eastern Shore. First serve is at 6 p.m. at the Hytche Athletic Center.
 
LAST WHISTLE: Morgan State (4-10) is coming off back-to-back road losses to co-hosts Cornell and Syracuse in the Cornell/Syracuse Invitational (Sept. 15-16). In their last outing, the Bears fell to Syracuse in three sets on Saturday. Makila Billingsley finished with nine kills and Alyssa Sampson had a team-high six digs. Trinity Carruthers recorded eight assists and Mya Karrick had seven. Justyus Jackson and Jada Williams each tallied five blocks, including two solos each, as Morgan State held a 10-5 blocking advantage over the Orange.
 
THE IVY EXPERIENCE: Morgan concluded its season matchups against the Ivy League with a 3-0 loss at Cornell (9/15) in the opener of the Cornell/Syracuse Invitational. The Bears finished with a 1-2 mark against Ivy League opponents, defeating Dartmouth, 3-1 in the Morgan/Towson Invitational (9/1), before losing on the road at Columbia (9/9) in five sets. 
 
BEARS LOOSE IN TIME SQUARE: The MSU volleyball team took some time out on Thursday, Sept. 7 to enjoy the sites, sounds and food of New York. The team's tour began with a ferry ride from Staten Island to Manhattan. From there the team walked to the World Trade Center and the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. The Bears then ventured to Times Square AKA the "Bow Tie" of Midtown, referring to 41^st to 47^th Street, along Broadway and Seventh Avenue. Those blocks form what looks like a giant bow tie. Morgan State then finished its evening with a team dinner at Carmine's Italian restaurant.
 
TAKE TWO: The Bears earned back-to-back wins over Dartmouth and FDU during the co-hosted Morgan/Towson Invitational. It was the first two-match winning streak for Morgan State since the Spring 2021 season when the Bears earned 3-0 sweeps at home over George Washington (Jan. 29) and Howard (Feb. 12).
 
THAT'S A FIRST: Morgan State picked up its first win of the season, following a 3-2 victory over Dartmouth (9/1) during the Morgan/Towson Invitational. It was also the first meeting between the two programs. The victory was also the Bears first over an Ivy League opponent in 10 tries.
 
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.

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.
 
 
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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.