Morgan State University Athletics

BETHLEHEM, Pa. (August 28, 2026)--The Morgan State volleyball team opened the 2026 campaign on the road in the Steel Classic, hosted by Lehigh University. The Bears would drop their season opening match, falling to the Vikings, 3-0 (25-19, 25-21, 25-16) on Friday afternoon at Grace Hall.
 
The match was the fourth meeting between the two programs, with the Vikings earning a victory in all four.
 
Newcomers Nathalia Morais led the Bears' offense with eight kills, while Michaela Panekova added six kills. Isabelle Brown tallied 19 assists and Bailey Swinton finished with a team-high six digs to go with a service ace and an assist in her first collegiate match.
 
Cleveland State (1-0) was paced by Addison Koppelman and Bryn VanVleet, who both totaled 12 kills. Jazen Debina added eight kills, a match-high four service aces, two digs and a block. Vayda Delventhal had a match-best 10 digs and Fiona Copper tallied a match-high 29 assists.
 
The Vikings broke a 9-9 tie in the opening set, using an 8-2 run to extend their lead to 17-11. Morgan State went on a 5-2 run to get within 19-16. That would be as close as the Bears would get as Cleveland State claimed the first set 25-19, while hitting a set-best .423 with 15 kills.
 
In Set 2, Morgan State finished with a set-high 10 kills but hit for just .097 with seven errors. The Bears jumped out to a 4-1 lead, but the Vikings reclaimed the advantage at 16-11. Morgan State then used a 7-3 spurt to pull within 19-18. However, the Vikings countered with three straight and closed out the contest with a 25-21 victory.
 
Cleveland State wrapped up the match by recording 15 kills and hit .344 in the third and final set. Morgan State would be limited to seven kills. Morgan State trailed 13-11, before the Vikings used a 9-4 run to take a 22-15 lead. Panekova would secure the final kill of the day for Morgan State and the Vikings closed out the match scoring three straight points for the 25-16 Set 3 win.
 
Morgan State will close out the tournament with two matches on Saturday. The Bears will take on Gardner-Webb at 10 a.m., before concluding the evening against the host Mountain Hawks at 4 p.m. live on ESPN+.
 
The Bears enter Saturday's competition 3-0 all-time against Gardner-Webb and trail Lehigh, 3-4. Gardner-Webb (0-1) dropped its opening match to host Lehigh in three sets in the opener. The host Mountain Hawks (2-0) finished the opening day with a 3-0 sweep of Cleveland State.
 
 
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.