Howard Defeats Morgan State In MEAC Volleyball Opener, 3-1

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Jurnee Tipton recorded a match-high 14 kills and Kia Porter added 10, as host Howard defeated Morgan State, 3-1 () on Friday night in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) opener for both teams at Burr Gymnasium.

On a night where Howard unveiled its 2017 MEAC Championship banner prior to the match, Tamia Dockery finished with a double-double, totaling a match-high 38 assists and adding 11 digs, while Fola Wilson collected a match-high 19 digs, as the Lady Bison began their quest of a fourth straight MEAC title.

Morgan State (8-9, 0-1 MEAC), which had its season-long three-match winning streak come to an end, was led by Cristen Coryatt, who had a double-double with 12 kills and 14 digs. Zoe McBridefinished with 10 kills, Jasmin Hubbard had 12 digs and Brook Adams added 11 digs, as the Lady Bears recorded 51 digs for the contest.

BOX SCORE

Howard (8-9, 1-0 MEAC) finished the match with 48 kills on 129 attempts with 20 errors for a hitting percentage of .217. Morgan State had a hitting percentage of .181 with 39 kills on 116 attempts and 18 attack errors.

After dropping the crucial first set by three points, Morgan State regrouped to even the score at 1-1, following a 25-15 victory. The Lady Bears would hit for a set-high .267 with 11 kills on 30 attempts and just three errors. Morgan State would hold Howard to a -.029 hitting percentage in the second set, as the Lady Bison finished with a set-low nine kills and had 10 errors on 34 attempts.

Howard responded after the intermission, by defeating Morgan State in Set 3 by the identical 25-15 score from the previous set. The Lady Bison would hit for a set-best .579 with 13 kills on 19 attack attempts and just two errors.

The Lady Bears' serving woes resurfaced on Friday, as they committed 12 serving errors and had just four aces. Howard struggled as well. The Lady Bison managed to record nine aces, but had a whopping 18 serving errors.

Morgan State will now travel to Norfolk, Va. to take on the Norfolk State Spartans on Sunday, Sept. 30 at 3 p.m. at Gill Gymnasium. The Spartans (1-10, 0-1 MEAC) were dealt a 3-0 (25-20, 25-18, 25-23) loss to visiting Coppin State on Friday in the MEAC opener for both teams.

MORGAN STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS