Morgan State University sophomore volleyball player Zoe McBride was named Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Player of the Week, while senior Roi Wallace was named MEAC Setter of the Week for their season opening performances last week, the conference announced on Tuesday.
Last season McBride, who was named to the All-MEAC Rookie Team, earned five MEAC Rookie of the Week selections, while Wallace garnered four setter of the week honors.
“I am happy to come out strong at the start of the season and it is only up from here,” said McBride. “Of course I thank the rest of the team for helping me because I couldn’t have accomplished it without the sets or the passes. They all work really hard in practice and push me to be better.”
A native of Ridgefield, Wash., McBride led the Lady Bears to a 2-1 weekend to open the season – which included back-to-back five-set wins over Seton Hall and William & Mary in the Morgan/Towson Invitational. The wins marked Morgan State’s first 2-0 start since 1999.
The 6-foot outside/right side hitter hit .268 for the weekend, recorded two double-doubles in three matches and averaged 4.62 kills and 2.4 digs per set. In the opener against Seton Hall, she had a career-high 30 kills, 13 digs and three blocks, while hitting .383 to help the Lady Bears to their first season opening victory since 2011. McBride followed that up with an 18-kill, 10-dig performance against William & Mary. She added 12 kills, eight digs and an ace against Towson in the title match.
Wallace averaged 9.85 assists per set as Morgan State ended a seven-match losing skid in season openers with its win over Seton Hall in the opener of the Morgan/Towson Invitational. She began the weekend collecting 58 assists against the Pirates – two shy of her career high and added seven digs, two kills and a service ace.
The San Dimas, Calif. native then recorded her first double-double of the season with 49 assists and 14 digs against William & Mary. Wallace, who totaled seven kills, 26 digs and four service aces for the weekend, closed out the tournament with 21 assists, five digs, three kills and an ace in the title loss to Towson.
“Being named setter of the week is really an honor to me and it fuels me to work hard and get more weekly accolades over the course of the season,” said Wallace. “It also feels really good to be named the first week out.”
Earlier in the day Morgan State hosted Siena and the momentum from the weekend carried over in a 3-0 (25-17, 25-21, 25-18) sweep of the Saints, giving the Lady Bears their first 3-1 start since 1999.
“That’s something that myself and the team are really happy about,” said Wallace on the 3-1 start. “To be doing so well so quickly is really exciting and it shows just how hard we’ve been working and how well we can work through adversities and we hope to carry this throughout the rest of the season.”
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