WASHINGTON (September 20, 2019) – Howard University women's volleyball team returned to The District where they suffered a 3-0 (18-25, 22-25, 13-25) loss at the hand of Southeastern Conference (SEC) foe Ole Miss inside The Burr on Freshmen Appreciation Night.
 
Redshirt sophomore Marcelle Butler (Canton, Ga.) led the Bison attack with a team-leading 11 kills while junior Jurnee Tipton (Ypsilanti, Mich.) added nine kills and eight digs in a losing effort.
 
In game one, both squads were deadlocked at seven after a kill from junior Myca Mitchell (Clovis, Calif.), but three consecutive hitting errors from the Bison put Ole Miss back in control to take set one.
 
Set two saw Howard eclipses a .324 hitting percentage, led by Tipton recording five kills in the game. After a slow start, HU fought their way back and took a 21-20 lead late, thanks to a service ace by freshman Kayla Diaz (Nanuet, N.Y.). Following an Ole Miss timeout, the Bison were unable to keep the momentum going as they committed four hitting errors down the stretch to give the Rebels the set.
 
In game three, Howard had 15 unforced errors (13 hitting and two serving), which the Rebels took advantage to win the set and match.
 
Diaz and fellow classmate Semira Blair (Fort Worth, Texas) combined for 33 assists while junior Fola Wilson (Minneapolis) had a team-high 12 digs in the loss.

For Ole Miss, they won their seventh straight match. Anna Bair led the Rebels with a match-leading 13 kills in the victory.
 
Saturday (Sept. 21), the Bison host Big Ten opponent Rutgers at The Hilltop. Match time is scheduled for 2 p.m.
 
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.