Morgan State’s volleyball team may have a 3-13 record this season, but they believe they will still be competitive as they begin playing more conference games.

So far, they are 1-1 in conference play after losing to North Carolina Central 1-3 on Sept. 24 and defeating South Carolina State 3-0 on Sept. 26.

Head coach Ramona Riley-Bozier doesn’t believe her team’s record reflects the type of team they are. Although the team is inexperienced, she sees promise in some of the team’s younger players such as freshman outside hitter Madison Grace.

On Sept. 13, Grace was named Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Rookie of the Weekafter she had 66 kills in the three-game George Mason Invitational.

She was named MEAC Rookie of the Week for a second time on Sept. 27.

Grace attributes the team’s new roster and mental errors to their losses. She believes that if the team limits their mental errors, they will have a better chance of closing out games.

“A lot of the blame is placed on us as a collective,” Grace said, “but we need to work on ourselves individually.”

Riley-Bozier believes that if her team finishes their matches strong, they will have a good chance of being competitive in their games against other MEAC opponents.

“I feel that our team has improved from losing early on and can beat conference teams,” Riley- Bozier said.

In addition to Grace’s performances, another silver lining for the Lady Bears has been the play of sophomore outside hitter Gabriela Hiciano.

On Sept. 12, Hiciano and Grace were named to the George Mason All-Tournament Team.

Hiciano averaged 2.36 kills and 2.43 digs per set over the three-game tournament. She also had 12 kills, six digs and three assisted blocks in the team’s first win of the season on Sept. 10, a 3-2 win over George Mason.

Hiciano believes the team will begin accumulating wins if they are more disciplined. She said that the team’s errors in crucial moments have hurt them.

“The sport of volleyball is a team effort,” Hiciano said. “Changing the course of the season will depend on each one ofus.”

The Lady Bears have an opportunity to earn their second conference win of the season this Friday in Hill Field House at 6 p.m. when they face their crosstown rival Coppin State.