Natalie Chafeh finished with 23 assists, two kills, two aces, two digs and three blocks against Howard.
Howard 0, Morgan State 3
BALTIMORE, Md. (Nov. 11, 2011)-Junior Kierra Outlin tied a match-high with a team-leading nine kills, while senior Erin Cox recorded eight kills and had eight digs in her final home match of her career, as the Lady Bears closed out the regular season with a 3-0 (25-20, 25-13, 25-13) sweep of rival Howard in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) North Division match on Friday night at Hill Field House.
With the win the Lady Bears (10-18, 8-4 MEAC) wrapped up second-place in the north division, while ending the regular season winning seven of their last eight contests. The 10 wins are the most since the 2007 squad won 11, which is also the last time the Lady Bears have finished as high as second in the division – the first year of division play. The eight league victories are the most since 2006 when that team went 9-1 in conference play.
Morgan State's Zuri Smith and Ashley Johnson each added four kills, while Jourdan Lemons led the team in digs with nine. Ngebui (Natalie) Chafeh finished with a match-high 23 assists, two kills, two digs and two service aces. Nangeeshie Plaud chipped in with a match-high four service aces and four digs.
Howard was led by Gabrielle Martin, who finished with nine kills and had a team-high three service aces. Jasmine King led the Lady Bison (5-23, 4-7 MEAC) with 10 assists, while Alexis Skinner had a team-high six digs and Meagan Lagerlef added five.
Coming into the match Morgan State ranked third in the MEAC in total blocks, while Howard was fourth. The host Lady Bears finished with 11 blocks, while Howard had seven total blocks, giving Morgan State a 6.0-5.0 advantage. Chafeh led Morgan with three blocks, while Outlin and Smith added two blocks apiece.
The Lady Bears will now prepare for next week's MEAC Championship Tournament, which takes place Nov. 18-20 at the Physical Education Complex on the campus of Coppin State University.
