BALTIMORE, Maryland - Maryland Eastern Shore fermented their hold of second place in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Northern Division with a sweep of the Morgan State Bears (27-25, 25-10, 25-13) Friday night in Baltimore. The Hawks improved to 14-12 (7-2 MEAC) while the Bears fell to 5-19 (5-4 MEAC).

Sophomore Rachel Kayongo (Northridge, California) led the attack with a match high 14 kills against just three errors for a kill percentage of 39 percent. Fellow sophomore Koya Sowells (Missouri City, Texas) supplied 11 digs, also a match high, and freshman Ivana Blazevic (Zagreb, Croatia) assisted on 29 of the Hawks' 34 kills. Junior Kirstin Fink (Tucson, Arizona) delivered a pair of block assists, helping out on half of the team's blocks.

"This was a very good team win. Winning on the road always has its challenges but I'm pleased with the poise that we showed." Coach Toby Rens said post-match. "Kayongo was great from start to finish. Rachel and Lucia Babic both played very good defense, served well and carried the team for much of the match."

Morgan State had an uncharacteristic rough night, earning more errors than kills. The Bears received eight kills from Keana Browne and 10 digs each from Natashia Barker and Jasmin Hubbard.

Despite the lopsided stats, the Hawks and Bears played close in the first set. Maryland Eastern Shore built an 8-3 lead on two kills by senior Mere Serea (Suva, Fiji) and a Kayongo ace. But Morgan State rallied to close the gap, and then took the lead thanks in large part to five service aces. The Bears turned a five point deficit into a five point lead at 17-12.

It would be Kayongo who sparked the Hawks' comeback. Three successful attacks by the sophomore combined with a pair of kills from Babic brought The Shore back. A fourth Kayongo kill retied the set at 22. Morgan State then forced set point with their sixth ace of the set, but Maryland Eastern Shore countered when sophomore Marta Klafuric (Donja Lomnica, Croatia) gained the serve. After extra time was forced, two more Kayongo kills helped the Hawks complete the comeback.

Bolstered by the win in set one, The Shore easily rode to victory in set two which was coupled by a shaky showing from the Bears. The Hawks only needed nine kills as Babic kept Morgan on their toes with her serves, leading to a 14-3 outburst to start the set. Both teams would trade off points after that before Maryland Eastern Shore won by 15.

The Hawks showed no mercy in the third set. Sophomore Zuzana Ondruskova (Bilovec, Czech Republic) spearheaded the beginning of the set with two kills and The Shore stormed out to another 8-3 lead. They would not look back and would efficiently finish off the match with a 9-2 run that included three kills from freshman Iva Vujosevic (Bar, Montenegro).

The Shore stays in Baltimore to face Coppin State at 3 p.m. Sunday. A victory would guarantee second place in the MEAC North.