Photo by David Sierra


Box Score | Updated Bracket | Championship Central


WASHINGTON, D.C., Nov. 19, 2021 – Delaware State made quick work of quarterfinal opponent Morgan State on Friday in the 2021 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Volleyball Championship, winning 3-0 (25-15, 25-11, 25-16) in Burr Gymnasium.
 
The No.2 seed Hornets (25-3) advanced to Saturday’s 8 p.m. semifinal against either No. 3 Coppin State or No. 6 Norfolk State.
 
Sydney Lewis and Karen Cordero led a balanced Delaware State attack with nine kills apiece, while Valeria Otero added eight kills. Lewis hit .643 by going error-free in 14 swings, while Otero was also error-free in 13 tries to hit .615.
 
Jasmal Cruz led the Hornets defense with nine digs, while Cordeo had eight.
 
The Hornets hit .333 for the match, while holding the Bears (5-24) to just .108. Delaware State also held a 7-1 edge in service aces and 5-3 in team blocks.
 
Delaware State started fast, jumping out to a 6-0 lead in the first set after an Otero service ace. The lead eventually grew to 20-9 before the Hornets eventually took the set by 10 points.
 
Morgan State had a better start to the second set, leading 6-5 after a kill from Gabriela Hiciano. But the Hornets responded by scoring 21 of the next 25 points, going up 24-10 and forcing set point.
 
Delaware State, which is searching for its first MEAC volleyball title since 1986, then went up 8-2 to open the third set, though the Bears cut the lead to 13-12 after going on a 10-5 run. The Hornets then answered by closing the set on a 12-4 run to clinch the set and move on to the next round.
 
Makila Billingsley and Madison Grace each had six kills to lead Morgan State.