DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (September 27, 2019) – Howard University women's volleyball team opened Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) play with a four-set victory over Bethune-Cookman (20-25, 28-26, 25-19, 25-18) inside Historic Moore Gymnasium.
 
Four Bison reached double figures in kills, led by third-year outside hitter Jurnee Tipton (Ypsilanti, Mich.) with a match-high 14 kills. The Michigan native also recorded her third double-double of the year after racking up 16 digs in the win.
 
"Bethune [Cookman] had a great crowd tonight and provided an amazing environment for our match," said Howard women's volleyball head coach Shaun Kupferberg. "They caused us some problems and we were lucky to pull off the second set. After that, we settled down and played a more consistent match. They will be good moving forward."
 
After dropping the first set, HU found itself in a seesaw battle in game two. Bethune-Cookman's (B-CU) Alleah Dallas gave the Wildcats a slight edge late, 26-25, but a ball handling error by B-CU and a pair of kills from middle blockers Tamar Wells (Apopka, Fla.) and Kira Porter (Lake Tahoe, Nev.) tied the match at one apiece.
 
Howard took control of the match, winning sets three and four decisively, despite the Wildcats clawing back in each.
 
Porter and Wells combined for 22 kills and a pair of solo blocks while junior Myca Mitchell (Clovis, Calif.) added 14 kills.
 
Defensively, four Bison produced double digit digs, led by junior Fola Wilson (Minneapolis) with a team-best 18 digs. Fellow classmate Abby Morrow (Detroit) provided 13 digs, followed by newcomer Kayla Diaz (Nanuet, N.Y.) with 10 digs.
 
Freshman Semira Blair (Fort Worth, Texas) dished out 46 assists in the victory.
 
For Bethune-Cookman, Jordan Jefferson, MEAC Preseason All-Conference selection, notched a double-double with 19 digs (match-high) and 10 kills in the loss.
 
Sunday (Sept. 29), Howard travels to Tallahassee, Fla. where the Florida A&M Rattlers await. First-serve is set for 3 p.m.
 
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.