Match 18 (MEAC Contest)
Friday, Sept. 29, 2023
Morgan State (5-12, 0-2 MEAC) at North Carolina Central (1-10, 0-2 MEAC)
Durham, N.C. | McDougald-McLendon Arena | 6 p.m.
Live Stats | Live Video
 
BALTIMORE, Md. (Sept. 28, 2023)--The Morgan State volleyball team will be on the road this weekend, as it travels to the Carolina's for two Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) matches. The Bears will first visit North Carolina Central (NCCU) on Friday, Sept. 29 at 6 p.m. in Durham, N.C., before traveling to Orangeburg, S.C. to face South Carolina State on Sunday, Oct. 1 at 1 p.m.
 
BEAR CLAWS: Morgan State (5-12, 0-2 MEAC) is coming off a 3-1 home loss to the defending MEAC champions, Delaware State (9/24). The loss was the Bears' second straight and fourth in its last five. Makila Billingsley finished with eight kills, while Gabriela Hiciano totaled 12 digs. Trinity Carruthers finished with 15 assists and added eight digs. The Bears have been led offensively by Billingsley, who is averaging 2.62 kills per set, while Ainara Fernandes is contributing 2.04 kills per set. Fernandes also leads the team in service aces with 26. Carruthers is recording 5.14 assists per set, while Erin Carpenter is adding 3.08 per set. Defensively, Alyssa Sampson leads the way with 2.71 digs per set and Hiciano is averaging 2.14 digs. Jada Williams has tallied a team-best 52 blocks, including 15 solos, while Justyus Jackson has 40 blocks and a team-leading 17 solo blocks.
 
EAGLE SCRATCHES: North Carolina Central (1-10, 0-2 MEAC) is in the midst of an eight-match losing skid, following a 3-0 loss at Howard (9/24). Jeslyn Spencer led the offense with eight kills and Bella Dearinger finished with 12 assists. Loren Johnson and Emmie Modlin each recorded eight digs. Isa Dostal led the Eagles in aces with three and blocks with two. NCCU has been paced by Kamren Harper, who is averaging 2.86 kills per set and Modlin (2.76 kps). Dearinger is recording 5.76 digs per set. Johnson is totaling 3.81 digs per outing, while Janelle Mason has totaled  a team-high 19 blocks, including team-best five solos.
 
SERIES NOTES: The Eagles have won four straight to take a 4-3 all-time series lead over Morgan State. NCCU swept last season's series, winning in five sets in Baltimore, before later sweeping the Bears in Durham.
 
NEXT UP: Morgan State will travel to Orangeburg, S.C. to visit the Bulldogs of South Carolina State on Sunday, Oct. 1 at 1 p.m. at Dukes Gymnasium.
 
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.