BALTIMORE, Md. (Sept. 21, 2023)--The Morgan State volleyball team begins Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) action this weekend with two matches. The Bears open their MEAC slate on the road on Friday, Sept. 22 when they travel to Princess Anne, Md. to face the Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) Hawks at 6 p.m. at Hytche Athletic Center.
 
On Sunday, Sept. 24, Morgan State will come home to host defending MEAC champion Delaware State at 1 p.m. at Hill Field House.
 
"They are very offensive, so we have some strengths that I think can tackle some of that offense a little bit and take them out of their system a little bit earlier on," said Morgan State head coach Xiomara Ortiz of UMES. "I'm excited to have our serving game challenge them a little bit more and our blocking presence challenge them a little bit more. Hopefully that kind of reduces their offensive opportunities but gives us a little bit more edge on our side of the game to help us win that match."
 
"Del State, the reigning champs, I'm sure they have a lot of confidence going in, but a lot of change within its roster and key players that they lost, but also a new coaching staff. So, I'm hoping that we see how those adjustments have been working through their scheme of things. But I'm very confident going in and excited for what our team can show the MEAC."
 
HAWK TALONS: UMES (7-5) wrapped up non-conference action with a is coming off a 3-1 loss at Tarleton State (9/16) in the finale of the Dr. Pam Littleton Classic. The loss ended the Hawks' season-long five-match winning streak. Ranyla Griggs totaled a match-best 17 kills and Anisa Dorlouis finished with 26 assists.
 
UMES SERIES NOTES: Morgan State leads the all-time series, 45-28 over Maryland Eastern Shore. The Hawks won last season's series, 2-1. The Bears won the first meeting, 3-2 in a non-conference match in the opener of the George Mason Invitational (Sept. 16) in Fairfax, Va. The Hawks then captured both MEAC meetings, defeating Morgan State, 3-0 in Baltimore (10/16) and 3-1 in Princess Anne, Md. (11/9).
  
NEXT UP: The Bears will return home on Sunday, Sept. 22 for their MEAC home opener when it welcomes defending MEAC Champion Delaware State to Hill Field House. First serve is at 1 p.m.
 
LAST WHISTLE: Morgan State (5-10) enters the match coming off a 3-0 victory at home over Bowie State on Tuesday. The contest was the first meeting between the two programs since 1991, thus ending a 32-year hiatus. The Bears concluded the non-conference slate with a win, which ended a two-match losing skid. Maya Karrick finished with a match- and season-high 16 kills, while hitting .344. Karrick would also add a match-high four service aces and finished with seven digs. Ainara Fernandes accounted for 11 kills and hit .400, while Tiffany Moore added eight kills and hit .438, as Morgan State hit .204 as a team. Trinity Carruthers tallied a match-high 21 assists and Erin Carpenter finished with 13. Alyssa Sampson recorded a match-best 15 digs.
 
MSU HOLDS EDUCATION DAY: Nearly 200 students from two area schools attended Morgan State's inaugural Education Day on Tuesday, Sept. 19. The goal was 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. The students took part in a campus tour and were taught the Bear chant and dance. Prior to the match, four students were recognized as outstanding students and served as honorary captains (two for Morgan State and two for Bowie State) and were introduced in the starting lineups.
 
GIMME FIVE: Morgan State concluded the non-conference schedule with a 3-0 sweep of visiting Bowie State (9/19). The win gave the Bears five non-conference victories on the season, the program's most since the 2019 team won six non-conference matches. The 2019 squad would go on to reach the MEAC title match.
 
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 it 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.