HAMPTON, Va. – The Richardson sisters, Ravyn and Reeana, had 11 kills apiece to lead Hampton on Friday night as they defeated Morgan State 25-22, 25-19, 26-24 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Northern Division opener in Holland Hall.

Morgan State jumped out to a 15-9 lead in the first set but Hampton went on a 7-2 run capped by a Mallory Beard ace to cut the lead to 17-16.  Hampton (6-11, 1-0) tied the match at 19-all after an ace from Erin Napoleon as the teams alternated points before a Ravyn Richardson kill tied the score for the sixth time in the first set at 22.  A pair of kills from Lena Washington and Kyndall Nicholas helped close out the first set with Hampton winning 25-22.

Hampton jumped out to a 16-8 lead in the second set after a kill by Nicholas though the Bears did trim the deficit to five on a few occasions a kill by Ravyn Richardson ended the second set 25-19.

As in the first set, Morgan State jumped out to the early advantage in the third leading 13-9 after a kill by Monette Daniels and held an 18-15 lead late in the set before Hampton went on a 9-3 run with a Washington kill putting Hampton up 24-21. The Bears tied the match at 24, but consecutive kills by Washington ended the match with Hampton winning 26-24.

Along with her nine kills, Washington had 10 digs, while Lena Reed-Petracek added 18 assists and four digs and Beard also had 18 assists and two aces.  Maja Petronijevic added a season-high 20 digs to lead the team.

Hampton returns to action on Sunday afternoon hosting Coppin State (1-16, 1-0) at 3 pm.  Coppin State defeated Norfolk State Friday night in four sets. 

For more information on Hampton University volleyball, please contact the Office of Sports Information at 757-727-5757 or visit the official Pirates website at www.hamptonpirates.com.