WASHINGTON (September 12, 2019) – Howard University women's volleyball team heads west to Los Angeles where they will complete in their toughest challenge on the young season at the Trojan Invitational, hosted by Southern California (USC).
Friday (Sept. 13), HU opens the tournament with Villanova. Match time is set for 8 p.m. (ET) Saturday (Sept. 14), Howard takes on No. 20 USC at 1:30 p.m. (ET), followed by Yale at 8 p.m. (ET)
Fans can follow all the action via
live stats; however, Saturday afternoon's clash with the Trojans can be seen on
USC Live Stream.
LAST TIMEOUT
Tuesday (Sept. 10), the Bison dropped its home opener to Loyola (Md.) in five sets (17-25, 22-25, 25-20, 25-23, 14-16) at Burr Gymnasium.
Junior
Jurnee Tipton (Ypsilanti, Mich.) led the Bison attack with a match-best 19 kills, six digs, two service aces and a pair of blocks. Senior
Kira Porter (Lake Tahoe, Nev.) added 11 kills, followed by junior
Myca Mitchell (Clovis, Calif.) with 10 kills.
MATCHUP PREVIEWS
HOWARD
HU (2-6) looks to get back in the win column and build momentum as conference play approaches. On the year, Howard picked up 3-0 victories over Hartford (Aug. 30) and Canisius (Sept. 6); however, dropped tough five-set matches to Maryland (Sept. 2), Columbia (Sept. 6) and Loyola (Md.) (Sept. 10). Porter, Tipton and junior
Fola Wilson (Minneapolis) were all named to the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Preseason team where they look to guide the Bison.
NO. 20 USC
USC (2-3) seeks to get back on track and live up to its reputation as one of the top programs in the nation. Southern Cal has opened the season playing five opponents who finished 2018 in the NCAA RPI's top 25. The club returns AVCA All-America outside hitters senior Khalia Lanier and junior Brooke Botkin, along with 2018 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year setter Raquel Lazaro.
VILLANOVA
Villanova (5-1) enters the weekend riding a three-match winning streak after going perfect (3-0) at the Bryant Invitational. The squad knocked off North Dakota, Marist and the host team Bryant. As a result, senior libero Regan Lough was named to the Big East Honor Roll for the second time this season.
YALE
Yale (0-3) arrives in Los Angeles searching for their first win of the season. The club opened its 2019 campaign in the Hoosier Invitational, hosted by Indiana, where they faced three "Power 5" foes in Oklahoma (Big 12), Oregon State (Pac-12) and the Hoosiers (Big Ten). Despite those setbacks, the Bulldogs took Oklahoma to five sets, and lost to Oregon State and host Indiana in four sets.
UPCOMING SEASON
Next weekend (Sept. 20-22), HU returns to The District for a trio of matches.
Friday (Sept. 20), Howard faces SEC foe Ole Miss inside The Burr. First-serve is set for 6 p.m. The next day (Sept. 21), the Bison host Big Ten opponent Rutgers at The Hilltop. Match time is scheduled for 2 p.m. Sunday (Sept. 22), HU wraps up the weekend at crosstown rival Georgetown. The action starts 1 p.m.
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at
www.HUBison.com.
