BALTIMORE, Md. (Sept. 7, 2023)--The Morgan State volleyball team will head to New York for this weekend's Columbia Tournament (Sept. 8-9), hosted by Columbia University. The Bears begin the tournament on Friday, Sept. 8 with a 3 p.m. contest against Rutgers. On Saturday, Sept. 9, Morgan State will face host Columbia at 11 a.m., before closing out the weekend against Manhattan at 2 p.m.

MSU AGAINST THE FIELD: Morgan is 0-3 all-time against Rutgers. The two met last season during Day 2 of the Towson Invitational (9/3/22) with the Scarlett Knights earning a 3-0 victory…The match-up against Columbia will be the first meeting between the two…Morgan State and Manhattan will also be meeting for the first time.

NEXT UP: The Bears return home to host local foe Notre Dame of Maryland on Wednesday, Sept. 13 at 6 p.m. at Hill Field House.
 
LAST WHISTLE: Morgan State concluded the 2023 Morgan/Towson Invitational with a 3-0 loss to Temple (9/3). Makila Billingsley and Ainara Fernandes each had five kills. Erin Carpenter had nine assists, two kills and three digs, while Mya Karrick finished with four kills, six assists, two digs and an assisted block. Alyssa Sampson had a team-leading seven digs and recorded a match-high two service aces. The Bears finished the match with 21 kills on 83 attempts and had 23 errors. Morgan would hit -.025 for the contest.

BEARS LOOSE IN TIME SQUARE: The Morgan State volleyball team took some time out on Thursday (9/7) 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 last week's 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. 
 
CARPENTER NAMED TO HOKIE INVITATIONAL ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM: Senior setter Erin Carpenter was named to the Hokie Invitational All-Tournament Team after totaling 30 assists, 20 digs, three kills, three service aces and two blocks in nine sets played. The Atlanta, Ga. native had a weekend-best 17 assists and added seven digs and two assisted blocks to go with a kill against Furman (8/25). In the finale against Quinnipiac, Carpenter totaled a season-high 11 digs, had a season-best two service aces and added two assists.
 
OPENING SERVE: Morgan State fell to 9-22 in season openers since the 1993 season, after falling on the road to Virginia Tech (8/25) last week in three sets. 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).
 
BLOCK PARTY: Morgan State finished the opening weekend holding a 17.0-9.0 advantage in blocks over its opponents in three matches played. Jada Williams led the way with 10 total blocks, including a match-high five in the finale against Quinnipiac. Morgan State held a 6.0-2.0 blocking advantage in its second match against Furman. In the finale against Quinnipiac, the Bears out blocked the Bobcats 7.0-3.0. It marked the second straight opponent that Morgan State out blocked after tying Virginia Tech with 4.0 blocks each in the opener.

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 this season 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.
 
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 was a first-team Morgan State All-Academic selection, was named to the MEAC Commissioner's All-Academic Team and was earned MEAC Volleyball All-Academic Team honors.

IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME: Morgan State will end two 30-year 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 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 (Lone Tree, Colo.) 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 
There are many ways to keep up with MSU athletics online and on the go:
• Visit www.morganstatebears.com, the official web site of Bears athletics, for news, schedules, stats, bios and more. 
• Follow us on social media:
Facebook: /MorganStateBears
Twitter: @MorganStBears
Instagram: /MorganStateBears
 
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.