BALTIMORE, Md. (Oct. 12, 2025)--Daniela Ferreira recorded a match-high 17 kills, hit .400, tallied eight digs and had a match-high five service aces to lead Morgan State to a 3-1 (25-5, 25-20, 21-25, 25-23) Homecoming victory over visiting Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) on Sunday afternoon at Hill Field House.
 
The win was Morgan State's first homecoming victory since 2021, a sweep of South Carolina State. The victory also ended a six-match losing skid to the Hawks, as well as what seemed like a five-set curse, as the last four previous losses to UMES all went five sets.
 
"It feels great," said Morgan State junior middle blocker Jada Williams on getting her first win over UMES in five tries. "Our team really clicks well. We give our all day in and day out. We fell short in our previous five-set matches with UMES, and we knew we just had to go all gas to overcome that."
 
"Homecoming is such a fun time at Morgan and being able to secure the win this time around means a lot to my team and I," added Williams.
 
Morgan State and UMES would flip spots in the league standings, as Morgan State (7-8, 4-1 MEAC) moved into sole possession of second place in the MEAC standings, while the Hawks (7-12, 4-2 MEAC) dropped into a two-way tie with Howard for third.
 
Hanna Nemeth had 12 kills and Williams added nine. Mele Taumoepeau finished with a match-high 11 digs and Isabelle Brown fell shy of a double-double with a match-best 37 assists and nine digs.
 
The Bears came into the match looking to build on the momentum off their last two wins and continue their conference success this season.
 
Set 1 was complete domination by the Bears, as they stormed out to an early 8-2 lead after back-to-back service aces by Jada Williams. Daniela Ferreira & Mele Taumoepeau both had three service aces each in Set 1 to set the tone and pace of the match early.
 
UMES would collect its last point of the opening set, off an Alivia Proctor kill to make the score 16-5, before Morgan scored the final nine points to win the 25-5. The five points scored by UMES are an opponent low this season.
 
The Hawks would flip the script early in Set 2, using a 7-1 run early. The host Bears would quickly rite the ship, tying the score at 8-8. Most of the 2nd Set was back and forth with each side going on runs of their own. Nemeth's aggressiveness on the offensive end was a huge component of tonight's win. Nemeth had a match-high five kills in the second set. A service error by UMES would end the set 25-20, putting Morgan up 2-0. Ferreira would add two more aces in the set to tie her career high of five.
 
Set 3 would be a spirited bout with a sequence of runs by both teams with a total of four challenges stopping and starting the flow of play. UMES outside hitter Nkemjika Ikemefuna ended the set with a kill sparking life for a UMES comeback. Morgan fell short during this set allowing UMES to capitalize on key rallies late in the set. The previous four meetings between the two teams had gone five sets and the Hawks were looking to repeat that.
 
Consecutive kills by Williams, Ferreira and Aubrey Wilson put Morgan up 3-0 in Set 4 with Brown assisting on all three. Brown finished the contest recording 25 or more assists in her fifth consecutive match. A service ace by Karielys Melendez put UMES up 15-13, as the Hawks had hopes of forcing a fifth set. before a Daniela Ferreira block tied the set at 15-15.
 
The Hawks would take the lead once more, the sixth lead change of the match. But a timely timeout by Morgan State head coach Xiomara Ortiz settled some nerves and got the Bears back on track. Morgan would level the set at 20-20, following an ace by Mya Karrick. A Kill by Karrick followed by back-to-back UMES attack errors increased Morgan's lead to 23-20. A surge from the crowd at Hill Field House helped get Morgan to the finish line. Williams ended the match on a kill, as the Morgan State bench along with the Hill Field House crowd erupted!
 
Ortiz was extremely enthusiastic postgame mentioning how, "It's great to play for Morgan State and be able to rep our brand, and our culture."
 
UMES was paced by Karielys Melendez, who finished with eight kills, while Kate Eden collected 18 assists. Valeria Matias finished with 10 digs.
 
The Bears held a 6.0-5.0 blocking advantage over UMES. Williams led the way with a match-high three assisted blocks. Nemeth had two assisted blocks and Ferreira added two, including a solo block.
 
Morgan State will look to extend its winning streak to four straight and homecourt winning streak to five straight when it welcomes crosstown rival and MEAC unbeaten Coppin State to Hill Field House on Friday, October 17 for a pivotal matchup for first place in the MEAC. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m.
 
The Eagles (12-9, 6-0 MEAC) defeated visiting Delaware State, 3-0 on Sunday at PEC Arena.
 
 
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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.