Morgan State Falls to Howard, 3-1, in MEAC Home Opener
By Brian Hradsky
BALTIMORE — Morgan State volleyball started strong against Beltway rival Howard, but the Bears could not hold off a Bison comeback in a 3-1 loss Sunday afternoon at Hill Field House.
Morgan State won the opening set before Howard responded by taking the next three for a 21-25, 26-24, 25-21, 25-15 victory. The loss dropped the Bears to 2-12 overall and 1-1 in Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference play at the conclusion of the match, while Howard improved to 2-11 overall and 1-1 in conference competition.
Morgan State entered its MEAC home opener with some momentum after defeating Norfolk State 3-1 on the road in its conference opener. That victory had ended an eight-match losing streak for the Bears and snapped a seven-match skid at Norfolk State.
Sunday provided Morgan State with an opportunity to build on that result against one of its biggest conference rivals. Instead, Howard overcame a difficult start and took advantage of several critical runs to hand the Bears their first MEAC loss of the season.
Morgan State Takes Opening Set
The Bears looked like the sharper team early.
Morgan State and Howard traded points during the beginning of the opening set before the Bears began creating separation. Howard eventually pulled within 21-19, but Morgan State maintained its composure and closed out a 25-21 victory.
Morgan State recorded 14 kills in the first set while hitting .265. Howard finished with 12 kills and six attacking errors for a .176 percentage.
It was the type of opening Morgan State wanted in its conference home debut. The Bears had control of the match and an opportunity to put significant pressure on a Howard team that entered Sunday searching for its first conference victory.
The second set completely changed the direction of the afternoon.
Eight-Point Lead Slips Away
Morgan State appeared poised to take a commanding two-set advantage when the Bears built a 19-11 lead in the second.
Howard responded with the match’s defining run.
The Bison scored 10 of the next 11 points, turning an eight-point deficit into a 21-20 advantage. Morgan State stopped the run and eventually fought back to tie the set at 24.
Howard’s Sydnei Jones then recorded a kill to give the Bison a 25-24 advantage. Howard followed with the final point to complete the comeback and take the second set, 26-24.
Instead of Morgan State carrying a 2-0 advantage into the break, the match was suddenly even at one set apiece.
The Bears’ offensive efficiency also declined considerably in the second set. Morgan State recorded nine kills with eight errors on 43 attacks, finishing the frame with a .023 hitting percentage. Howard had 16 kills during the set despite committing 11 attacking errors.
That sequence proved to be the turning point.
Howard Takes Control in Third
Morgan State recovered enough to make the third set competitive.
The Bears held an 18-17 advantage late in the frame and were in position to regain control of the match. Once again, Howard responded with a decisive scoring run.
The Bison scored five consecutive points to turn the one-point deficit into a 22-18 advantage. Morgan State continued fighting and cut Howard’s advantage to 24-21, but Addison Buckner delivered the set-ending kill to give the Bison a 25-21 victory.
Howard’s attack became considerably more efficient during the third set. The Bison recorded 16 kills with only two errors on 39 attempts for a .359 hitting percentage.
Morgan State hit .241 during the frame, recording 11 kills against four errors. The Bears’ offensive performance was much better than it had been during the second set, but Howard’s efficiency ultimately made the difference.
After leading the match 1-0 and holding an eight-point advantage in the second set, Morgan State suddenly found itself trailing two sets to one.
Bison Pull Away in Fourth
Morgan State remained within striking distance during the first half of the fourth set.
Howard opened a 5-2 advantage before Morgan State closed the gap to 5-4. The Bears stayed close and eventually trimmed the Bison lead to 14-13.
That would be as close as Morgan State would get.
Howard responded with seven consecutive points to open a 21-14 advantage. The Bison eventually reached match point at 24-14 before Morgan State scored once more.
Dayion Johnson ended the match with a kill, giving Howard a 25-15 fourth-set victory and the 3-1 match win.
The late Howard run capped a frustrating afternoon for a Morgan State team that had opportunities to take control of the match during both the second and third sets.
Howard Wins the Offensive Battle
Howard finished the afternoon with 55 kills and a .203 team hitting percentage. Morgan State was limited to a .123 percentage.
Buckner led the Bison with 16 kills, while Johnson added 13 and hit .409. Alexys James contributed eight kills, 21 assists, three service aces and 13 digs.
Camryn Shelton anchored Howard’s defense with 20 digs. Jones added 20 assists and eight digs as the Bison received contributions throughout their lineup.
Howard also recorded six service aces and 59 digs.
The result was especially significant for the Bison after they had lost their MEAC opener 3-0 against Coppin State. Howard also entered the Morgan State match riding a five-match losing streak before ending it at Hill Field House.
Bears Unable to Build on Conference-Opening Victory
Morgan State had opened MEAC competition two days earlier with an encouraging performance at Norfolk State.
The Bears defeated the Spartans 3-1, winning 20-25, 25-20, 25-22 and 25-23. That victory ended Morgan State’s eight-match losing streak and gave the Bears a positive start to conference competition.
Morgan State had also lost seven consecutive matches at Norfolk State before Friday’s victory.
Returning home with a 1-0 conference record gave the Bears an opportunity to build early momentum in the MEAC race. Sunday’s loss instead left Morgan State and Howard level at 1-1 in conference play following the opening weekend.
MSB Take
This is one Morgan State will probably feel it let get away.
The Bears did what they needed to do early by winning the first set and then building a commanding 19-11 advantage in the second. Finishing that set would have put Morgan State ahead 2-0 and forced Howard to win three consecutive sets.
Instead, the Bison’s 10-1 run completely changed the match. Morgan State still had opportunities after that, including an 18-17 lead in the third set and a one-point deficit at 14-13 in the fourth, but Howard answered with decisive runs each time.
There are positives for Morgan State to take from the opening weekend of MEAC play. The Bears went on the road and defeated Norfolk State before playing a competitive match against Howard for three sets.
The next step is learning how to finish when those opportunities appear. Conference matches can swing on a handful of points, and Sunday’s second set was a perfect example.
Morgan State had an opportunity to put Howard in a major hole. Instead, the Bison escaped the second set and never gave control of the match back.
