BRIDGEWATER, Mass. - Bridgewater State College Director of Athletics, John Harper, announced today that Elizabeth Morris has been named as the Bears' new head women's volleyball coach.  Morris replaces Bob Roscoe who resigned at the conclusion of the 2009 season.

"We are obviously very lucky to have attracted someone of Liz Morris' capabilities and talents to our coaching staff," said Harper.  "She is a proven winner and that bodes well for returning our volleyball program to prominence in our conference and in the region.  Her student-athletes' track record on the court and in the classroom fit in perfectly with what we strive for here at Bridgewater State."

Coach Morris graduated from UMass Boston with a degree in Sociology and Criminal Justice, and a minor in Political Science.  She was the head volleyball coach at her alma mater for four seasons (1996-1999) and was named the Little East Conference Coach of the Year in 1999.  Morris oversaw a dramatic resurgence during her final campaign at UMass as the Beacons rebounded from a four-win season in 1998 to post a 22-5 record in 1999. 

After leaving UMass, Morris went on to coach varsity girls volleyball at Mount Alvernia High School and led her team to the program's first ever Catholic Conference Championship title in 2002.  In 2003 she returned to the college ranks as an assistant coach at Tufts University, followed by a brief stint as the head varsity coach at Norwood High School.

Prior to coming to Bridgewater State, Morris was the head coach at Lesley University from 2007 to 2009 where she directed her teams to three straight conference tournament appearances as well as a New England College Conference (NECC) Tournament championship in 2008.  Her coaching record at Lesley was 39-33 overall with a 16-6 mark in conference regular season play.

Coach Morris, who resides in Roslindale, Massachusetts, is presently a Family Residence Client Manager for Children's Services of Roxbury.