HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (Aug. 29, 2015)--Morgan State returned to the court Friday night to take on host Alabama A&M in the nightcap of the Betty Austin Invitational at Elmore Gymnasium.
 
The outcome was literally night and day from the Bears' 3-0 season opening win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff in the morning, as Morgan State would fall to the host Bulldogs in three sets, 3-0 (25-23, 25-11, 25-22) to fall to 1-1 on the season.
 
The loss was Morgan State's first loss to the Bulldogs in the series' two meetings. The Bears also suffered their first ever loss to a Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) opponent in 12 contests, falling 11-1.
 
"Overall, pretty solid day. We started off really knocking on all cylinders," said Morgan State head coach Xiomara Ortiz. "It was great to see the fire that we had coming out with good energy against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, which was probably the best offensive day we've had with a lot of players hitting over .200."
 
"We need to clean up a little bit in our passing game and defensive plays for when we played against Alabama A&M. But overall, I really enjoyed our first day and now we have to come back and bounce back quicker for Southern."  
 
Alabama A&M's victory would even up the win tally for the SWAC at three wins on Day 1 of this mini SWAC vs. Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) matchup after six matches.
 
Jada Williams finished with nine kills, three digs and four blocks, giving her 216 for her career. Zayda Thomas added seven kills.
 
South Alabama's Nisaan Martinez recorded a match-high 13 kills and five digs, while Rayishon Jackman added 10 kills and three digs. Fatima Ramirez totaled eight kills, had three service aces and shared team-high honors in digs with Kelani Talakai with seven.
 
The Bears finished with 39 kills and had a hitting percentage of .236, while Alabama A&M recorded 45 kills and a .371 hitting percentage.
 
Alabama A&M (2-0) will conclude its tournament in a battle of unbeatens when it hosts Delaware State.
 
Morgan State will look to regroup and close out the tournament on a high note on Saturday morning when it faces Southern (1-1). First serve is at 11 a.m. EST.
 
 
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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.