WASHINGTON (October 9, 2022) – Howard University women's volleyball team erased an early 1-0 match deficit to take down beltway rival Coppin State (CSU) in four sets (21-25, 25-16, 25-23, 25-16) at Burr Gymnasium on Pride Day.
 
With the victory, HU improved to 9-7 overall (3-1 MEAC) while extending its win streak to three.
 
Freshman standout Rya McKinnon (Bessemer, Ala.) had another solid performance, registering a double-double (13 kills and 10 digs) in the win.
 
The Bison had a strong start to the first set with sophomore middle blocker Maya Gerlach (Philadelphia) establishing her presence quickly by earning two kills for the Bison early in set one.
 
Towards the middle of the set, CSU was able to tie game one, 9-9, with a strong serve after the Bison had a combination of passing and attacking errors. Although both teams were able to execute their offense mid set, Coppin State had relentless effort and energy towards the end of set one, which ultimately led the Eagles to finish the set with a win.
 
Set two started off to a slow start with the combination of a Bison missed serve and Coppin State's struggle to execute offensively. After multiple attack errors mid set, Coppin State's energy escalated and was amplified after their aggressiveness at the net and the service line.
 
After going point-for-point throughout game two, the Bison got a hold of the momentum due to their scrappy defense, led by senior libero Essence Bell (Ocala, Fla.), which led to HU's win over the Eagles in the second set.
 
Both teams started the third set off with high intensity with back-to-back powerful kills. The Bison allowed CSU to bring their energy and effort into the match once again after back-to-back overpasses that the Eagles took advantage to gain momentum.
 
Although Coppin State middle blocker Ahzhi Coleman dominated in the third set with a hitting percentage of .600, the Bison took the lead once again after senior setter Kayla Diaz (Nanuet, N.Y.) made a game changing block, making the score 15-13.
 
Howard won the third set, outhitting the Eagles with a .519 hitting percentage, compared to the CSU's .312.
 
CSU passers struggled in set four, allowing Howard to hold the ball at the service line and giving the Bison an early lead, 5-2.
 
Gerlach dominated in the fourth set with three back-to-back-to-back blocks in one play and an immediate kill, which got the Bison energy on a roll mid set, 11-6.
 
The Eagles were able to make a run of a few points after a string of passing and attacking errors from Howard.
 
Graduate outside hitter Ammaarah Williams played a major role in the Eagles offensive success as she hit .500 in the fourth set, but with the Bison Powerhouse Jennifer Bolden (Los Angeles) back at it again with huge swings on the right side and strong serves from the Bison service line. Howard had the momentum and ended the fourth set, 25-16, with a monster kill from McKinnon.
 
Bolden finished with 12 kills while senior middle blocker Tamar Wells (Apopka, Fla.) added 10 kills in the victory.
 
For CSU (13-8), they suffered their first conference loss of the season (4-1). Coleman had a team-leading 11 kills while Andrea Tsvetanova recorded a double-double (34 assists & 11 digs) in a losing effort.
 
Howard will travel crosstown to face American Wednesday (Oct 12) at 7 p.m.
 
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.