NEW YORK, N.Y. (September 8, 2023)--The Morgan State volleyball team began the Columbia Tournament with a 3-0 (25-23, 25-11, 25-12) loss to Rutgers on Friday afternoon at Schiller Court inside Leiven Gymnasium.
 
Morgan State fell to 2-7 on the season, while Rutgers improved to 6-1 on the season and 4-0 all-time against Morgan State. The Scarlet Knights also improved to 2-0 on the season against Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) foes, having also swept MEAC Preseason co-favorite Howard last weekend in the finale of the Summit Hospitality Group Open hosted by North Carolina State.
 
Rutgers had a hitting percentage of .321 for the match after totaling 40 kills on 84 attempts with 13 attack errors. Morgan State finished the contest with 22 kills, 21 errors on 79 attempts for an attack percentage of .013.
 
The Bears were led by Makila Billingsley and Jourdan Page, who both finished with five kills. Trinity Carruthers led the team with 13 assists and Alyssa Sampson finished with a team-high six digs. Justyus Jackson finished with a team-leading two blocks.
 
Set 1 proved to be Morgan State's best of the match, as the Bears were in position to earn the set victory over their Big Ten foe. Morgan finished with a set-best 13 kills and hit .219 for the set. Rutgers tallied 15 kills and hit .243 as a team.
 
A kill by Jackson gave Morgan its first lead of the contest at 6-5. Morgan then got a block by Tyrah Weems and Jackson to extend its cushion to 7-5. Rutgers would even the score at 7-7, before Morgan State scored the next three points to take a 10-7 lead.
 
The Scarlet Knights used a 5-2 run to pull even at 12 apiece. Morgan State then went on to score four unanswered points to take its largest lead of the set at 16-12 on a kill by Jackson. The Bears maintained a four-point advantage at 18-14, when Rutgers responded to score four of the next five points to pull within 19-18.
 
Morgan was still in control and held a 21-18 lead, but Rutgers responded to score five straight points to take a 23-21 lead. A service error by the Knights brought Morgan within a point at 23-22. Two points later a kill by Jourdan Page cut Rutgers lead to 24-23. However, Alissa Kinkela would get a kill in the middle of the court for the 25-23 Rutgers victory.
 
From that point on, Morgan would struggle offensively, recording just five kills and hitting -.150 in the second set and four kills and -.111 attack percentage in the third.
 
The Scarlet Knights were led by Kinkela's match-high 10 kills, while Chelsea Harvey finished with a match-best 29 assists. Madyson Chitty and Bekah Williams each had 11 digs.
 
Morgan State returns to action on Saturday, Sept. 9 when it faces host Columbia on ESPN+ at 11 a.m., before concluding the tournament against Manhattan at 2 p.m. Columbia (1-4) picked up its first win of the season tonight with a 3-1 victory over Manhattan (0-7).  
 
 
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 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.