BALTIMORE, Md. (Aug. 16, 2012)-Morgan State head coach
Ramona Riley-Bozier will enter her 25
th season at the helm of the Lady Bears' volleyball program this season and she is enthusiastic about the possibilities of the 2012 campaign.
Last season was an up and down one for Morgan State. The Lady Bears began the season on a high note winning their first two matches for the first time since 1999. The back-to-back victories over Saint Peter's and Providence, which came during the La Salle Invitational, also provided Coach Riley-Bozier with her 374th and 375th wins of her coaching career.
“I really didn't know what to expect with that group because we had a lot of new people, the team was young and of the returning players we had coming back we only had really one veteran that was a consistent starter for us, which was Erin [Cox],” said Riley-Bozier. “So, I really didn't have a whole lot of high expectation, but it was exciting starting out the year with those two wins in the tournament, so at that time things looked to be pretty good.”
Morgan State then dropped its next 13 matches in the midst of losing 17 of 18 matches, before putting together a five-match winning streak and finishing the season 10-19 overall and an 8-4 mark in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) North Division, good for second place. The 10 wins were the most in four seasons, since the 2007 team won 11 matches, which was also the last time the Lady Bears finished as high as second in the division. The eight league victories were the most since 2006 when that team went 9-1 in conference play.
“I think when freshman Nangeeshie [Plaud] got hurt things just went downhill,” said Riley-Bozier. “Even when she came back, mentally she wasn't there how we needed her to be. We just couldn't find a way to win and find a person who could generate enough offensive for us. We didn't have a true libero at the start of the season, so having to move the one person who could score for us to the libero position helped, but it also took away some of the offense. After we moved Erin from libero back to the outside position then we started to do some good things.”
The Lady Bears also improved on their play and defending their home court last season, something that has been a problem in recent years. Morgan State went 5-2 in front of the Hill Field House crowd in 2011, including five straight wins to close out the home schedule. The five wins were a significant accomplishment for the Lady Bears who have struggled playing at home for the last four seasons. The five wins were the most since 2007 when that team won six home contests.
“Last season was the first time since 2006 that we began playing comfortable at home and I was really excited to see that,” said Riley-Bozier. “For the past few years we've been a team that would go on the road and play tough and hard against both conference and non-conference opponents and then when we played at home it was like two different teams. So hopefully the success we had last year playing at Hill Field House we can carry over into this season and continue to defend our home court.”
This season, the Lady Bears return 10 letterwinners from a year ago, including four starters (#Ngebui (Natalie) Chafeh#,
Jourdan Lemons,
Zuri Smith,
Janelle Wilson).
Chafeh, a 5-10 junior from Fontana, Calif., was a three-time MEAC Player of the Week selection in 2011 and enters the 2012 season ranked eighth all-time at Morgan State in assists with 1,006 for her career. Last season Chafeh led the Lady Bears with 782 assists, which ranked seventh in the MEAC and ranked second on the team in blocks (52) and third in digs (173). She also tallied 105 kills and 17 service aces.
Lemons, a native of Oxnard, Calif., split time at the setter position with Chafeh last season and finished with 80 assists. The 5-foot-10 senior, tallied 113 digs, 11 service aces and two blocks. Lemons currently ranks 10
th all-time at Morgan State in assists with 746.
A 5-foot-10 middle hitter from Inglewood, Calif., Smith came on strong midway through the season, finishing third on the team in blocks with 51, while recording 102 kills and 15 digs.
Wilson led Morgan State in blocks with 83, which ranked sixth in the MEAC. A 5-foot-11 middle hitter out of Avondale, Ariz., Wilson totaled 170 kills to finish third on the team and added 33 digs, four aces and six assists.
Also returning to the squad in 2012 are:
Simone Durham (6-0, So., RS/MH/OH, 54 kills, 24 blocks, 32 digs, three aces, four assists);
Ashley Johnson (5-7, Sr., OH, 151 kills, 38 digs, 24 blocks, six aces, five assists);
Tamara Leslie (5-3, So., L/DS, 51 digs, three aces, five assists, three kills);
Audrehona Mingo (5-11, Jr., MH/RS);
Nangeeshie Plaud (5-9, So., OH/DS, a MEAC Rookie of the Week selection, 101 kills, 123 digs, eight blocks and 18 aces, 13 assists) and
Nikita Wickham (6-1, Sr., MH, 26 kills, 16 blocks, 10 digs).
Morgan State will also welcome the addition of five newcomers in
Shayna Hunt-Colon (5-9, Fr., OH, Lorain, Ohio);
Arianna Hayden (5-9, Fr., RS/OH/S, Chicago, Ill.);
Dinah Jones (6-1, Fr., MH, Annapolis, Md.);
Morgan McKnight (5-9, Fr., RS/OH, Norcross, Ga.) and
Samantha Prescott (5-10, Fr., OH/RS, Trinidad & Tobago).
“I think this is a team that is capable of being in the mix for a MEAC championship,” said Riley-Bozier. “I never like to predict anything because you never know how they are going to come in mentally and physically are they going to come in shape. But if everyone comes in with the mindset of what's best for the team, then we will be fine. I do think the new people that are coming in are going to be some amazing players not just for Morgan but in this conference.”
Schedule
The schedule will consist of the normal 12-match Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) North Division slate, along with four regular-season tournaments and 10 home contests.
The 2012 campaign kicks off on Friday, August 24 in the Battle at the Bay (Aug. 24-25), hosted by crosstown rival Coppin State, followed by a trip to Sacramento, Calif. to take part in the Sacramento State Invitational (August 31-Sept. 1).
Morgan State returns to Baltimore for the Loyola Tournament (Sept. 7-8), before concluding its 2012 tournament schedule on the road in South Orange, N.J. at the Seton Hall Tournament (Sept. 15).
Morgan State will open up its home schedule on Sept. 23, when they host crosstown rival Coppin State in the MEAC opener for both teams. The annual homecoming match will take place on Oct. 14 when the Lady Bears play host to Howard, before taking to the road for four straight conference matches.
The squad will conclude its home slate with a match-up against defending MEAC Tournament champion Maryland Eastern Shore on Nov. 2
nd, followed by Senior Day against Delaware State (Nov. 4).
The Lady Bears will conclude the regular season on Friday, Nov. 9th when they travel to the nation's capital to face Howard. The MEAC championship will take place Nov. 15-17 and will be hosted by crosstown rival Coppin State.
“We can't go into conference play with the same type of record we had last year because it's going to take us too long to figure out and learn how to win,” said Riley-Bozier. “So I think our schedule puts us in a good position to where we can be ready for conference play.”
