BALTIMORE, Md. (Oct. 27, 2024)--For the second time this weekend the Morgan State volleyball team went the distance with its opponent, but was unable to come away with a victory. This time the Bears would drop a heartbreaking 3-2 (25-15, 25-14, 21-25, 21-25, 15-12) decision at home to visiting Delaware State in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) match on Sunday afternoon at Hill Field House.
 
Delaware State (11-11, 7-2 MEAC), which extended its winning streak to six straight, would sweep the season series with the win.
 
Morgan State (5-18, 1-8 MEAC), which was coming off a tough 3-2 loss at Maryland Eastern Shore on Friday night, came out on fire against Delaware State. The Bears hit a sizzling .423 with a set-best 14 kills in the opening set, while limiting the guests to a hitting percentage of .100 with 11 kills. Trinity Carruthers (1.000 attack percentage) and Daniela Ferreira led the charge with three kills each, as Morgan State claimed a 25-15 victory in Set 1.
 
The Bears weren't done, as they followed it up recording 10 kills in the second set for a hitting percentage of .207. Delaware State would record a set-low seven kills and hit for -.061. This time it was Madison Grace, who tallied three kills on four attempts and hit .750, leading the way with Addison Metts, who also totaled three kills in the set. The Hornets' Gerren Tomlin led all players with five kills in Set 2.
 
Delaware State turned things around in the third set, as it hit a set-high .242 with 14 kills. Morgan State would record 10 kills and hit .185 in the set, as the Hornets got on the board with the 25-21 victory.
 
The Hornets would follow it up with another 25-21 victory to take Set 4 and even the score at 2-2. Delaware State recorded a set-high 16 kills, while hitting .237. The Bears tallied 12 kills and hit .194 in the set. Tomlin had a set-high five kills for Delaware State, while Ferreira led the Bears with four kills. Delaware State held a 16-11 advantage after a kill by Hannah Sanders, which led to a Morgan State timeout. Morgan State responded with five straight points to even the score at 16 all. The guests would put together two mini 3-0 runs to take a 24-20 lead, before winning the set on an attack error by the Bears.
 
In Set 5 the Hornets scored the first three points and led 6-2, before Morgan State used a 6-1 spurt to take an 8-7 lead on a service ace by Mikaela Esparza. Delaware State responded with three straight points and later used a 3-1 run to increase its lead to 13-10. The Bears scored the next two points to pull within 13-12, before the Hornets closed it out scoring the final two points for the 15-12 win.
 
Tomlin led the Hornets with a match-high 16 kills and added 14 digs to record a double-double. Alondra Maldonado added 12 kills and Valeria Otero led the team with a match-high 17 digs. Naz Tuncay finished with a match-best 25 assists and Paige Ahakuelo had 20 assists.
 
Delaware State would finish with 55 kills and a .128 hitting percentage. The Hornets also totaled 52 assists, 54 digs and had eight service aces to go with six service errors.
 
Morgan State was paced by Ferreira, who tallied 12 kills, eight digs and three assists. Grace recorded 11 kills and Metts finished with 10 kills and seven digs. Erin Carpenter led the defense with 11 digs and Esparza and Hannah Chappelle finished with 10 and nine digs, respectively. Mya Karrick recorded 23 assists to go with five digs and along with Chappelle had a match-high three service aces. Carruthers, who finished a perfect 7-of-7 in kills, added 13 assists.
 
The Bears finished the match hitting .215 with 51 kills and collected 54 digs, 42 assists and nine service aces. Morgan State would out block the Hornets 13.0-5.0 with Aubrey Wilson leading the way with a combined six blocks, including three solo blocks. Jada Williams finished with five, including two solos, while Ferreira and Grace both added three blocks and each had a solo block.
 
Morgan State will now take to the road as it will visit North Carolina Central on Friday, Nov. 1 at 6 p.m. in Durham, N.C. The Bears will then travel to Orangeburg, S.C. on Sunday, Nov. 3 to take on South Carolina State at 11 a.m.
 
 
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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.