 Front Page |  Newsroom Index |
December 1, 1997
By Lamont Germany
The Morgan State University 1997 Lady Bear volleyball season started inAugust. It's now December, and Morgan is still playing volleyball. Only the Elite teams inthe nation are still playing in December, and now Morgan (25-9) can count itself among theelite, as the Lady Bears join the field of 56 for the 1997 NCAA Tournament.There arefour geographic brackets that make up the tournament field, and the NCAA Selection Committeehas placed the Lady Bears in the Pacific Region. Morgan takes on a nationallyrespected foe in their first round match-up this weekend. The Lady Bears will be on the road totake on the University of Southern California at USC in Los Angeles, California, onFriday evening December 5, 1997 (approximately 9:30PM et).
Not only will this be the firsttime Morgan and USC have met on the volleyball court, but this will be the first timethe two institutions have ever competed against each other in any team sport. USC will come intothe match as the 8th ranked team in the nation. They've complied a 21-5 overallrecord, and an impressive 13-5 mark in the tough PAC 10 Conference.
The Lady Bears arefacing a difficult challenge this weekend, but accepting and overcoming challengehas been the hallmark of a Morgan team that has put together a brilliant 1997 season.
Morgan Stat's Lady Bears are up against an opponent that brings impressive credentials to the table. USC is ranked 8th in thecountry, and year in and year out fields one of the best volleyball programs in the nation.While Morgan is making it's 1st ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament, USC has been to thebig dance 14 times. This is the 7th consecutive season the Women of Troy haveadvanced to the tourney. The last time they didn't make the tournament field was 1990.
TheUSC roster is overflowing with talent everywhere you look. Senior outside hitter JenniferKessy is just one of the weapons USC has in the arsenal. The 6-0 San Juan Capistrano, CAproduct leads the team in kills with 408 (4.39 per game). Junior middle blockerJasmina Marinkovic is also a big time killer. Jasmina has 398 kills for the season,good enough for a 4.37 per game average. Jasmina also is a force at the net as she is 2ndon the team in blocks (138).
The leading lady for USC when it comes to blocking is AlianaKipps. Aliana has 163 total blocks for the year. That comes to 1.63 blocks pergame, and that's good enough for 7th in the country. Defensively, Jennifer Kessy can dig it.She's digging at a 3.27 per-game clip, and has totaled 304 digs for the season.
THE COACHES.... Morgan State is coached by Ramona Riley Bozier. The Morgan State graduate is in her 10th season at the helm. She has won Mid-EasternAthletic Conference Coach of the Year honors 3 years running, and has compiled anoverall 166-128 career record.
USC is coached by Lisa Love who is in her 9th year at Southern Cal. TheTexas Tech graduate has taken the Women of Troy to the NCAA Tournament in 7 of herprevious 8 years on the job.
Front Page | Newsroom Index |