WASHINGTON (September 16, 2018)---Howard University's volleyball team brought stiff competition to tournament play this weekend. The Bison dropped all three of its matches at the American Volleyball Classic but they fought hard in each of their matches. Libero Fola Wilson was named once again to the All-Tournament team. She was also named to the All-Tournament team in the Rutgers Invitational last weekend. Wilson has now accumulated 161 digs in her sophomore season.

Howard University vs. Penn State
0-3 (27-25, 25-13, 25-21)

The energy was high and the crowd of nearly 1500 fans was electric as Howard University hosted the No. 5 Penn State Nittany Lions in Burr Gym on Friday. The Bison were dynamic and strategic in their play, keeping the Lions behind them for much of the set. HU was up, 24-21, before Penn came back and took the game, 27-25. Penn secured the additional two points needed after Howard committed back to back attack errors.

"We battled hard against a great team. I loved what I saw and after a few more weeks of training I think we will be in a good place and able to compete at the highest levels," said head coach Shaun Kupferberg. "Right now we are missing a little consistency, but we have made big strides in the last week."

The aggressive play in the first set was too close for comfort for the Lions. They returned to the second set with an explosive plan that never allowed the Bison to come within distance of a set win. Penn took the set, 25-13.

The Bison regrouped and brought the competition in the third set. Howard cut its deficit to one point at 18-17 with a kill by Marcelle Butler. The Lions eventually pulled away from the Bison, winning the set 25-21.

Jurnee Tipton recorded 16 kills and a block. Tamia Dockery tallied 27 assists, 8 digs, 3 kills and 2 blocks. Fola Wilson had seven digs and five assists. Freshman Antonia Kearney had 8 digs and an ace. Kira Porter posted five kills and three blocks. Abby Morrow finished the match with two assists.

Howard University vs. American
0-3 (15-25, 19-25, 21-25)
On Saturday, Howard lost in three sets to American University. The Bison were outperformed by American in points, kills, blocks, assists and digs. American had six aces to Howard's zero.

Marcelle Butler had 11 kills. Jurnee Tipton had nine kills. Kia Porter recorded eight kills and two blocks. Freshman Antonia Kearney posted six digs and a block. Tamia Dockery led the team with 24 assists and an additional six digs. Christian Patton contributed two assists.

Howard University vs. Buffalo
1-3 (23-25, 25-19, 20-25, 18-25)
Howard faced University of Buffalo (UB) in its final match on Saturday. The Bison fell, 1-3. A kill by senior Courtney Dalton kicked off the first set. The Bison hit .256 compared to Buffalo's .325. The lead changes were back and forth until Buffalo widened the score. Howard came back to tie at 20-20. The last 5 points were a fight to the finish with Buffalo ultimately taking the set, 25-23.

Howard responded in set two, going on a 5 point run that begin with a kill by Kira Porter followed with back to back kills by Tamia Dockery and Marcelle Butler. The run brought the score to 8-5. The Bison gained momentum that lasted throughout the set. HU held UB to .179 hitting percentage while the Bison had an impressive .375 percentage in that set. Howard maintained control and won the set, 25-19.

In sets three and four the Bison could never find the rhythm needed to get in a groove. They dropped both sets and the game.

Jurnee Tipton tallied 12 kills, 14 digs, two assists and an ace. Courtney Dalton and Marcelle Butler both had 11 kills with Butler adding four blocks. Freshman Kailyn Williams had 5 kills.  Tamia Dockery posted 42 assists, seven kills, four blocks and an ace. Fola Wilson had 30 digs and four assists. Freshman Antonia Kearney contributed 12 digs.

The Bison continue the action on Tuesday, September 18 against University of Maryland Baltimore County at 7 p.m. in Burr Gym.

About Howard University Athletics
The Howard University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics sponsors 19 NCAA Division I men and women varsity sports. The programs represent six conferences: the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), Coastal Collegiate Swimming Association (CCSA), Sun Belt Conference, Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) and Atlantic Sun (ASUN) Conference. Visit www.hubison.com to learn more.