QUEENS, N.Y. (September 7, 2019) – Howard University women's volleyball team wrapped up its weekend with a tough 3-0 (23-25, 21-25, 20-25) loss at St. John's in the Jack Kaiser Classic.
 
HU (2-5) started slow, hitting only .179 and committing 11 errors in the opening set, but got into a rhythm later in the contest. Howard finished with a .238 hitting percentage, including .290 in the third set, while cutting down their errors to nine in sets two and three combined.
 
Senior Kira Porter (Lake Tahoe, Nev.) and Jurnee Tipton (Ypsilanti, Mich.) led the Bison attack, combining for 24 kills. Porter had 11 kills while producing a .667 hitting percentage whereas Tipton posted a match-best 13 kills in the loss.
 
Howard trailed as much as eight in the first set, but gradually fought their way back into the game and tied the set at 23, thanks to a kill from Porter. But the Red Storm would score the final two points to take set one, 25-23.
 
Both squads seesawed back-and-forth in sets two and third with the Bison grabbing the upper hand on multiple occasions, but costly errors down the stretch would give St. John's the victory in both sets and contest.
 
Defensively, junior Abby Morrow (Detroit) recorded a match-high 10 digs while freshmen setters Kayla Diaz (Nanuet, N.Y.) and Semira Blair (Fort Worth, Texas) totaled 38 assists in a losing effort.
 
For St. John's (4-3), Efrosini Alexakou and Klara Mikelova had 11 kills apiece while Rachele Rastelli added 10 kills in the victory.
 
Tuesday (Sept. 10), Howard hosts Loyola (Md.) in their home opener. First-serve is scheduled for 6 p.m. inside The Burr.
 
Tuesday's promotion is Taco Tuesday, sponsored by El Tio Grill D.C., and the first 200 students will receive a taco at the match.
 
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.