Morgan State University Athletics

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Oct. 25, 2026)--The Bears' volleyball team closed out what was a Battle of the Beltway weekend, holding off rival Howard, 3-2 (25-20, 25-22, 24-26, 29-31, 15-6) in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) contest at Burr Gymnasium on Sunday afternoon.
 
With the win, Morgan State avoided what would have been a second heartbreaking loss for a Morgan State program against the Bison in less than 24 hours, as the school's football teams met Saturday afternoon in Baltimore.
 
But Morgan State was able to earn a season split with Howard, as each team won on the other's home floor and more importantly now sits in a tie with the Bison for second place in the league standings.
 
Morgan State (7-14, 6-3 MEAC) was led by Hanna Nemeth, who two days after recording a career-high 21 kills against Norfolk State, hit .317 with 16 kills, seven digs and three blocks in the win over Howard. Michaela Panekova added 10 kills, seven digs and three blocks, while Isabelle Brown totaled a match-high 37 assists with four kills, five digs and six blocks.
 
Defensively, the Bears were paced by Tameary Wardlaw, who totaled 15 digs. Jada Williams recorded a career- and match-high 12 blocks, including four solos to go with eight kills, six digs and three service aces. Morgan State would out block Howard, 20-7, for the match.
 
The visiting Bears regrouped from Friday's loss to Norfolk State and appeared to be on the verge of sweeping Howard, after jumping out to a 2-0 lead. But the Bison would not go away, recording back-to-back 20 kills in in the third and fourth sets to even the match at 2-2 and force a fifth and decisive set.
 
Going the distance is something Morgan State has been accustomed to this season. It marked the seventh time this season the Bears have gone five sets. Six of Morgan's nine MEAC contests have gone five sets, with Sunday's contest marking the third consecutive league contest to go the distance.
 
Howard (7-14, 6-3 MEAC) got on the board first with a kill from Alexys James, but the Bears scored the next four points to take a 4-1 lead. Howard trailed 6-4 when the guests used a mini 3-0 run to extend their advantage to 9-4. Following a kill by Howard's Briana Pagan cut the deficit to 9-5, Morgan State then went on a 5-0 spurt to increase its lead to 14-5. An attack error on the Bears would provide Howard's final point, as Nemeth ended the match with a kill to give Morgan State the 15-6 set win and the match victory.
 
The Bears would save their best for last, hitting a set-best .462 with seven kills on 13 attempts and just one attack error in Set 5. Defensively, Morgan State held Howard to its worst set of the day, as the Bison hit -0.059 and had a set-low four kills on 17 attempts and five errors.
 
For the match, Morgan State hit .224 with 50 kills on 147 attempts and 17 attack errors. Howard finished with 21 more kills than Morgan, totaling 71 on 185 attempts, but it committed a whopping 42 attack errors for an attack percentage of .157.  
 
Howard was led by Addison Buckner, who finished with a match-high 24 kills and added 12 digs to record a double-double. James also had a double-double, collecting 36 assists and 10 digs to go with nine kills, while Camryn Shelton tallied a match-high 31 digs. Sydnei Jones totaled 31 assists and Zenai Jethroe finished with 15 kills and hit a team-high .400.
 
Morgan State returns home to host North Carolina Central on Friday, Oct. 30 for its Halloween Costume Contest Night. First serve is at 6 p.m. at Hill Field House.
 
 
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ABOUT MORGAN
Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified high research (R2) institution offering more than 150 baccalaureate, master's degree, doctorate and certificate programs. 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.