Women's Volleyball | 11/17/2016 2:49:00 PM

PRINCESS ANNE, Md. – After earning the top seed in the North, the Howard volleyball team begins its pursuit for its second straight Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) title on Friday, Nov. 18. The defending conference champions will open the 2016 MEAC Volleyball Championship with a quarterfinal match against South No. 4 seed North Carolina Central at 1 p.m. in the Hytche Athletic Center.

Howard, the Northern Division title holder, is heading into the tournament with a 23-5 overall record and spotless 12-0 mark in league play. It is the first undefeated MEAC record for the Bison since the 1994 season (8-0).

Howard currently leads the nation in limiting its opponent hitting percentage (.124), while topping the MEAC in hitting percentage (.233), assists per set (11.63), kills per set (12.66) and blocks per set (2.11).

On Wednesday, junior outside hitter Khaila Donaldson was honored as the MEAC Player of the Year and head coach Shaun Kupferberg was named Coach of the Year for the second time since taking over the reins in 2012. Donaldson was joined by senior libero Morgan Marlbrough and sophomore setter Tamia Dockery on the All-MEAC First Team. It was the second time on the premier team for Marlbrough and first-ever for Dockery.

Friday's match will be the first meeting of the season between Howard and N.C. Central (6-16, 5-5 MEAC). The Eagles wrapped up its regular season with a five-set victory over in-state rival North Carolina A&T. Howard is 3-0 all-time against N.C. Central and won the last outing between the two teams on Sept. 10, 2013 in straight sets.

Fans can keep up with the team by following @HUBisonVB and @HUBisonSports on Twitter.