Match Notes | Live Stats | MEAC Network

BALTIMORE, Md. (Sept. 8, 2026)--Morgan State will conclude its season-long six-match homestand, as it will stay at home to host the Battle of the Beltway (Sept. 11-13) at Hill Field House. The Bears open up against Georgetown (4-2) on Friday, Sept. 11 at 6 p.m., before taking on George Mason (4-2) on Saturday, Sept. 12 at 12 noon. The Orange and Blue will close out the tournament and its six-match homestand with a matchup against George Washington (1-5) in the finale on Sunday, Sept. 13 at 2 p.m.
 
Friday's contest against the Georgetown Hoyas and Sunday's finale against the George Washington Revolutionaries, will both stream live on the MEAC Network.

MORGAN AGAINST THE FIELD: Morgan State volleyball is a combined 3-19 all-time against this weekend's opponents (Georgetown, George Mason and George Washington). Morgan State is 0-7 all-time against Georgetown. The Hoyas defeated the Bears, 3-0 in last season's Battle of the Beltway meeting at Hill Field House (9/13/25). Georgetown will be making its second consecutive visit to Hill Field House for the Battle of the Beltway…Morgan State trails George Mason in the all-time series, 2-4. The Bears have dropped their last three matches against the Patriots, all played in Fairfax, Va., including last season's 3-0 loss in the Battle of the Beltway (9/12)…George Washington leads the series, 8-1. The Revolutionaries defeated the Bears in three sets last season's Battle of the Beltway at match in Washington, D.C. (9/14). Morgan State's lone victory came on Jan. 29, 2021, when the Bears swept GW to end a seven-match losing skid to the Revs. The match was played during the Spring 2021 semester due to the 2020 campaign being cancelled due to Covid-19.
 
NEXT UP: The Bears will close out the non-conference slate next weekend in Athens, Ohio, when they take part in the Bobcat Invitational (Sept. 18-19), hosted by Ohio University. Morgan State will open the tournament against the host Bobcats on Friday, Sept. 18 at 10 a.m., before closing the day against Mercyhurst at 4:30 p.m. Morgan State will conclude the weekend against UNC Asheville on Saturday at 11 a.m.
 
LAST TIMEOUT: Morgan State is coming off a 3-0 loss to rival Towson on Sunday. Jada Williams led the Bears with 10 kills, and five digs and Michaela Panekova had eight kills and four digs. Isabelle Brown posted a match-high 21 assists and added two aces and six digs. Despite the loss, the Bears made tremendous strides last weekend from the season opening weekend in the Lehigh Steel Classic (Aug. 28-29). Morgan State picked up its first win of the season, following a 3-1 victory over Saint Peter's in its home opener (9/4). The next day Morgan State then bounced back from a two-set deficit to local foe Loyola Maryland, to win the next two sets and force a fifth set, before falling to the Greyhounds on Saturday, Sept. 5.
 
FOLLOW THE BEARS ON TWTTER: Morgan volleyball fans can follow the Bears on Twitter. Check out regular updates on the team which will feature live tweets from games and on road trips. To follow the Morgan State Athletics Twitter page visit Twitter.com/MorganStBears.
 
BROWN NAMED MEAC SETTER OF THE WEEK: Sophomore setter Isabelle Brown was named MEAC Setter of the Week (9/7). It was the first weekly honor this season and the third overall for Brown, who also received the honor twice last season as a freshman. A native of Avon, Ind., Brown averaged 6.8 assists and 1.9 digs for the week, while totaling 82 assists, 23 digs, 10 kills and a solo block in three matches. Brown began the week with a match-high 31 assists, five kills, two service aces and a block against Saint Peter's (9/4) to help Morgan earn its first win of the season. A day later Brown followed up with a double-double, collecting 30 assists and 12 digs against Loyola Maryland (9/5), before concluding the week with a match-high 21 assists, six digs, two aces and a kill against Towson (9/6).
 
WILLIAMS TWO BLOCKS SHY OF FOURTH AT MORGAN: Senior middle blocker Jada Williams tallied 11 blocks over the weekend, including a season-high six blocks Loyola Maryland (9/5), giving her 311 career blocks. A native of Fredericksburg, Va., Williams is now two blocks away from passing Tiffany Pickens (312 from 1995-98) for fourth place on the Morgan State career chart.
 
BEARS EARN BACK-TO-BACK HOME OPENING WINS: Morgan State improved to 7-11 in home openers since the 2010 season, following its 3-1 victory over Saint Peter's (9/4) at Hill Field House. It was the Bears' second consecutive home opening win. Last season, Morgan State also won its home opener, 3-1, defeating Quinnipiac (9/5). 
 
PANEKOVA NAMED TO STEEL CLASSIC ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM: Morgan State senior Michaela Panekova was named to the Steel Classic All-Tournament Team (8/29). A native of Zilina, Slovakia, Panekova played in all three matches, posting a team-high 22 kills, nine digs, five blocks and an assist in nine set over the weekend. Panekova had her best outing against the host Mountain Hawks (8/29), recording nine kills and four digs, both season highs, along with a block.
 
WILLIAMS REACHES 300 BLOCKS: Jada Williams, who entered the season ranked fifth all-time at Morgan State with 291 career blocks, recorded a total of nine kills during the season opening weekend in the Steel Classic (8/28-29). Williams recorded three blocks in the finale against host Lehigh, giving her 300 blocks for her career.
 
OPENING SERVE: Morgan State dropped to 10-24 in season openers since the 1993 season, following this year's season opening 3-0 loss to Cleveland State (8/28) in the opener of the Steel Classic hosted by Lehigh.
 
COACH ORTIZ RETURNS TO LEHIGH: Morgan State head coach Xiomara Ortiz spent four seasons at Lehigh University as the primary assistant coach for coaches Alexa Keckler (2018-20) and Bob Bertucci (2017), as a defensive and libero coach with the Mountain Hawks. Ortiz, who also served as Lehigh's recruiting coordinator – serving as the school's first contact with prospects and club directors. Her national recruiting efforts resulted in 11 new commits to the Mountain Hawks over a two-year span. While at Lehigh, Ortiz was also an advisor to Lehigh's Student-Athletes of Color (SAOC) leadership group.
 
MORGAN PICKED FOURTH IN MEAC PRESEASON POLL: Morgan State was picked to finish fourth this season in the eight-team Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) preseason poll, as voted by the league's head coaches and sports information directors. Last season the Bears were picked to finish sixth and ended the season in third place, their highest league finish since the 2019 campaign.

LOOKING TO STAY UNBEATEN: Morgan will look to add to its perfect 3-0 record and remain unbeaten against Gardner-Webb. The two teams will meet on Day 2 of this week's Lehigh Steel Classic on Saturday, Aug. 29 in Bethlehem, Pa. The Bulldogs are the lone team on the schedule this season that Morgan State has previously played and never lost to.
 
WILLIAMS, WARDLAW NAMED AS LEADERS: Senior Jada Williams and sophomore Tameary Wardlaw have been named as this season's leadership council. Williams, who enters her fourth season at Morgan State, was named to the 2025 All-MEAC first team after leading the MEAC in attack percentage (.348) and finishing fifth in blocks with 79. A native of Fredericksburg, Va., she currently ranks fifth all-time on the Morgan charts with 286 career blocks. A native of Miami, Fla., Wardlaw averaged a team-leading 2.08 digs per set, finishing with 193 digs, 46 assists, 10 service aces and three kills last season.
 
TOURNAMENT EXPOSURE: The Bears will take part in three regular season tournaments this year. Following this weekend's Lehigh Steel Classic, the Bears will host the Battle of Beltway (Sept. 11-13). Morgan State will conclude its non-conference slate with a trip to Athens, Ohio to compete in the Bobcat Invitational (Sept. 18-19) hosted by Ohio University.
 
SOMEONE NEW: Morgan State will square off against two first-time opponents this season, when the Bears face host Ohio (9/18) and Mercyhurst (9/18) in the Bobcat Invitational (Sept. 18-19) in Athens, Ohio.
 
WEEMS NAMED SEMIFINALIST ARTHUR ASHE FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR: Senior Tyrah Weems was a semifinalist for the 2026 Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars Female Athlete of the Year. Students named Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars must maintain at least a 3.5 cumulative grade point average, be at least a sophomore academically and participate in community service. Over 900 scholar-athletes were nominated.

MSU WINS 2026 DITSALA CUP: Seven members of the Bears' volleyball team (Tameary Wardlaw, Hanna Nemeth, Jada Williams, Isabelle Brown, Daniela Ferreira, Aubrey Wilson and Tyrah Weems), along with head coach Xiomara Ortiz, represented Morgan State and the MEAC this summer participating in the third annual Ditsala International Cup in Botswana (June 1-13). The premier women's volleyball tournament brought together collegiate student-athletes from the United States with national teams from across Southern Africa. They spent time in Botswana taking part in clinics, training sessions, community engagement and got to experience safaris and explore Southern Africa. On the court, Team Morgan would go undefeated with wins over the Botswana and Zambia National Teams, before capping it off with a thrilling five-set gold medal match victory against Team HBCU, whose roster was comprised of fellow Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) athletes and two from predominately white institutions.
  
WELCOME TO THE CAVE: Morgan State welcomes the addition of seven newcomers to the 2026 squad, three transfers: Azra Arslanoglu (Mugla, Turkey), Kira DeVrieve (Chapel Hill, N.C.), Tre'Niya Miller (Greensboro, N.C.), Nathalia Morais (Brasilia, Brazil), Michaela Panekova (Zilina, Slovakia) along with two freshmen in Bailey Swinton (Odenton, Md.) and Alaina Walker (Charlotte, N.C.).
  
2026 MEAC CHAMPIONSHIP: This year's MEAC Volleyball Championship will take place November 20-23 in Baltimore at the Physical Education Complex on the campus of Coppin State University.
 
WILLIAMS NAMED TO 2025 ALL-MEAC FIRST TEAM: Jada Williams led the Bears this season with an attack percentage of .350, service aces (32) and blocks (79), including 31 solo blocks. She totaled 187 kills, 48 digs and 22 assists. A native of Fredericksburg, Va., Williams would also finish the regular season leading the MEAC in attack percentage and was fifth in blocks and ninth in service aces. Williams, who currently ranks fifth all-time at Morgan State with 286 career blocks, set a career-high 10 blocks this season at Maryland Eastern Shore (11/9).
 
FERREIRA NAMED TO 2025 All-MEAC SECOND TEAM: A native of Lisbon, Portugal, Ferreira ranked sixth in the MEAC in both kills (3.02) and points (3.26) per set. She led the Bears in kills (266) and was second in service aces with 28, while recording 142 digs, 14 assists and 29 blocks. Ferreira reached double figures in kills 14 times, including setting a career-high 23 kills at Howard (9/28). Ferreira's 17^th kill in the match against Howard, gave her 1,000 kills for her collegiate career.
 
BROWN NAMED TO 2025 MEAC ALL-ROOKIE TEAM: Brown assumed the setting duties and totaled 595 assists, which was third in the MEAC. A two-time MEAC Setter of the Week selection, Brown averaged 7.26 assists and 1.89 digs per set. The Avon, Ind. native, hit .250 with 44 kills, was third on the team in digs with 155 and totaled 23 service aces and 21 blocks. Brown produced three double-doubles and reached double figures in assists in 21 of the 24 matches she played, including a season-best 49 assists against Southern (8/30).
 
FERREIRA NAMED TO 2025 MEAC ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM: Daniela Ferreira concluded her career at Moran State being named to the All-Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Tournament Team. It was the second consecutive season she earned the honor. With her 2024 selection, Ferreira became the first all-tournament team selection under head coach Xiomara Ortiz and the first Bear player since Zoe McBride and Tylar Roberson were named in 2019. A native of Lisbon, Portugal, Ferreira finished with a match-high 13 kills, eight digs, two assists, a block and an ace in Morgan State's quarterfinal loss to Maryland Eastern Shore (11/20).
 
EIGHT NAMED TO MEAC ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM: Morgan State had eight players (Jada Williams, Mya Karrick, Hannah Chappelle, Daniela Ferreira, Tyrah Weems, Mikaela Esparza, Selah Brashear and Aubrey Wilson named to the MEAC Volleyball All-Academic Team during the 2025-26 school year.
 
BLOCK PARTY: Last season the Bears out blocked 20 of their 29 opponents. Morgan State would lead the MEAC and finished the 2024 campaign ranked 95th in the nation among NCAA Division I teams in blocks with 260.5. Jada Williams also led the MEAC in blocks with 118.
 
LET'S GO FIVE: Last season Morgan State went the distance in five matches, recording a 2-3 mark. The previous season, the Bears played in 10 five-set matches during the 2024 campaign, winning only two of them.
 
 
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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.