TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (September 29, 2019) – Howard University women's volleyball team overcame an early deficit to rally and knock off Florida A&M (FAMU) in four (22-25, 25-11, 25-16, 25-23) at the Al Lawson Center.
 
With the win, HU moved to 5-11 (2-0 MEAC) while the Rattlers dropped to 3-11 (1-1 MEAC).
 
Junior Myca Mitchell (Clovis, Calif.) led the Bison attack, registering a match-best 12 kills with .632 hitting percentage. Senior middle blocker Kira Porter (Lake Tahoe, Nev.) added nine kills, four service aces (match-high) and four digs in the victory.
 
Despite finishing the first set with a .290 hitting percentage, Howard found themselves in an early hole after trailing 7-0. HU fought their way back in the match and held a slight advantage late, 22-21, thanks to a kill from Porter; however, FAMU regained the upper hand on back-to-back hitting errors and closed the set with a kill from Elena Dimitrova and service ace by Ilayda Nurkan.
 
Set two saw a reversed role as Howard grabbed the upper hand early and never looked back, leading as much as 15 on multiple occasions.
 
In set three, HU jumped out to an 4-0 lead, but the Rattlers battled back and tied the contest at seven. From that point, the Bison found its rhythm with a .435 hitting percentage in the game and took command of the match.
 
Both squads went back-and-forth in game four. FAMU's Maria Yvett Garcia put the Rattlers ahead with a late kill, 22-23, but consecutive kills from Porter and freshman Macy Witt-Nobles (Rosharon, Texas) gave HU match-point, 24-23. The next sequence ended Florida A&M's hopes after a hitting error from Dimitrova.
 
Freshmen duo of Semira Blair (Fort Worth, Texas) and Kayla Diaz (Nanuet, N.Y.) combined for 41 assists while third-year libero Fola Wilson (Minneapolis) recorded a match-high 20 digs in the victory.
 
Garcia and Dimitrova led the Rattlers, registering 11 and 10 kills, respectively, in the loss.
 
Howard goes across the bridge for a date with Delaware State (Oct. 4) and Maryland Eastern Shore (Oct. 6). HU takes on the Hornets at 6 p.m. and the Hawks at 3 p.m.
 
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.