Morgan State University Athletics

BALTIMORE, Md. (Sept. 19, 2026)--The Morgan State volleyball team closed out the 2026 non-conference slate on Saturday morning facing UNC Asheville in its final match of the Bobcat Invitational, presented by AthensOhio.com.
 
The Bears would put together another competitive outing, but would fall shy of victory, dropping the contest, 3-1 (26-24, 19-25, 17-25, 21-25) at the Convocation Center on the campus of Ohio University.
 
Morgan State (1-11) was paced by Jada Williams, who finished with a team-high 14 kills, a match-high three service aces, and added eight digs and four blocks. Isabelle Brown finished with a match-best 28 assists to go with eight digs, an ace and a block. Brown also hit for a team-high .444 with five kills. Kira DeVrieze led the Bears with nine digs.
 
For the second consecutive day, the Bears came out aggressive in the opening set and would not give up, as they came-from-behind to claim the victory.
 
The Bears jumped out to a 9-3 lead, following back-to-back service aces from Williams. UNC Asheville (12-3) countered with a 10-3 run of its own to take a 13-12 lead. The Bulldogs appeared to have taken control of the set, when they used a 4-1 run to break a 20-20 tie and take a 24-21 lead. Morgan State would not go away, scoring five consecutive points, capped off by a Williams' kill to give the Bears the 26-24 victory.
 
Morgan State hit .125 in the first set with nine kills, while the Bulldogs recorded 13 kills and for an attack percentage of .152. However, the Bears took advantage of eight Asheville attack errors, along with six service errors.
 
In Set 2 there were 10 ties and four ties. Tied at 16 all, the Bulldogs used a 5-0 spurt to pull ahead 21-16. A kill by Brown ended the run, but Asheville closed out the set with a 4-2 run to earn the 25-19 win and even the match at 1-1.
 
The Bulldogs hit a set-best .312 and had 15 kills in Set 2. Morgan State also had its best set of the match, finishing with 10 kills and hitting .222.
 
Asheville held an 8-3 lead in Set 3, when Morgan State began to walk the Bulldogs down. The Bears used a 10-6 spurt to pull within a point at 14-13, but the Bulldogs scored four straight points to extend their lead to 18-13. Asheville then went on another 4-0 run to go up 24-16, eventually winning 25-17.
 
In the fourth set the Bulldogs held a 6-4 lead before scoring six consecutive points to take a 12-4 advantage. Morgan State again continued to fight and used a series of runs to get back in the set. Brown assisted on back-to-back kills by Williams to bring the Bears within 21-20. But Asheville gained the momentum back, following a kill from Sarah Wadsworth and a service ace from Catherine Hubiak to give the Bulldogs a 23-20 lead. Lydia Pate closed the door on the Bears with back-to-back kills for the 25-21 score.
 
Morgan State will now turn its attention to Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) play for the remainder of the season. Next up for the Bears is a trip to Virginia's Tidewater area to face the Norfolk State Spartans in the MEAC opener. First serve is at 6 p.m. at Gill Gymnasium and will stream live on the MEAC Network.
 
 
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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.