Morgan State's Erin Cox recorded a match-high 16 kills and added a match-high two service aces, but it wasn't enough, as the Lady Bears dropped a 3-0 (25-23, 25-17, 25-19) non-conference decision on the road at American on Tuesday evening at Bender Arena.
Angelina Waterman (9 kills, 8 digs) and Magdalena Tekiel (9 kills) led the Eagles, who totaled 47 kills and hit for .344 for the match.
Cassandra Ricketts added eight kills, seven digs and a match-high five blocks for American, which improved to 22-0 all-time against Morgan State.
Morgan State (5-14), which entered the contest coming off a nine-day layoff since its last match gave the host Eagles all they could handle in the first set. The Lady Bears finished the set recording 15 kills and a hitting percentage of .387, while the hosts finished with a hitting percentage of .308 and had 18 kills.
After falling behind by as much as five points (21-16) the Lady Bears rattled off five straight points, including a service ace from Rhyan Shy and evened the score at 21 apiece. American, which never trailed in the set, took a 24-22 lead, before claiming the victory.
It was all American in the second set, as the Eagles jumped out to a
13-4 lead in the midst of a 6-0 run. The Eagles extended their cushion to 10 points (22-12) and claimed the set on a block by Rebecca Heat h for the 25-17 win. American finished with 15 kills to six by Morgan State.
The third and final set was all American as well. The Eagles led 13-7, following a kill by Katerina Cinkova and pushed its lead to 20-13 on a block assist by Ricketts and Ann Recht.
Krysta Cicala notched a match-high 40 assists for American, while Morgan's Christa Rogers had 20 assists, five digs and four kills for a hitting percentage of .571.
Morgan State returns to action on Tuesday, Oct. 6, when it plays host to two-time defending Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) North Division champion, Maryland Eastern Shore in the MEAC opener for both teams. First serve is 7 p.m. at Hill Field House.