PRINCESS ANNE, Md. (November 18, 2017) – Coach Shaun Kupferberg and the Howard University Women's Volleyball team advanced to its fourth straight Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Title match after sweeping rival Hampton (25-18, 25-12, 14) at the W.P. Hytche Athletic Center.
 
"It's always great to play Hampton," Kupferberg said. "(Hampton) changed the lineup a little bit from when we played them two weeks ago. We needed to make sure we were ready for that."
 
Senior Jessica Young led HU with 16 kills while fellow classmate and MEAC Player of the Year Khaila Donaldson registered a double-double with a match-high 12 digs and 10 kills.
 
Hampton held a 3-2 lead early in the first set, before Howard scored the next six points to take an 8-3 lead. From there, Howard maintained a lead of two or three points throughout, before a 4-0 run to end the set.
 
That momentum carried into the second set, when the Bison jumped out to a 5-0 lead. Donaldson later had a kill that gave the Bison a 13-4 lead, and while Hampton eventually cut the lead to four, 15-11, Howard answered by scoring the next eight points.
 
Hampton led early in the third set, 4-2, before Howard scored the next eight out of nine points to take a 10-5 lead after another Donaldson kill. HU kept control throughout to set up a rematch Sunday.
 
Junior Tamia Dockery added 31 assists in the victory.
 
Florida A&M (FAMU) advanced earlier Saturday with a straight-set win over tournament host Maryland Eastern Shore.
 
"The most impressive thing about "Florida A&M is their consistency," Donaldson said. "They do the same thing every match … but I'm confident that our highest highs are better than their consistency."
 
Howard (15-15) faces Southern Division No. 2 seed FAMU (15-11) for the second straight season on Championship Sunday. The match will be shown live at noon on ESPNU and ESPN3.
 
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.