WASHINGTON - Howard University volleyball team begins its quest for yet another conference title when it hosts upstart Delaware State (DSU) Friday (Sept. 23) at 6 p.m. in Burr Gymnasium. It is officially Blackout Night when all students, faculty and staff in attendance are asked to wear all black.
 
The Bison (6-6) have played an early challenging non-conference schedule that featured powerhouse, Penn State, and other NCAA tournament teams.
 
After battling through several injuries during this period, the Bison have all starters healthy as evidenced by winning its last four-out-of-five matches headed into the conference opener.
 
"The big thing for us is finally being healthy," said Howard women's volleyball head coach Shaun Kupferberg. "All the starters are now healthy and you can see the results of late. We are a different team when we have all our starters."
 
One of the starters who has made a difference is freshman outside hitter Rya McKinnon (Bessemer, Ala.), who has emerged as not only one of the top freshmen in the conference, but one of the top players. She has earned Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Rookie of the Week honors twice this season.
 
"Rya is an All-American, who turned down the No. 1 team in the nation to come to Howard," Kupferberg state. "We expected this out of her and she still has to learn the college game. She is still feeling her way, but we expect her to continue to improve."
 
Kupferberg adds that the team, when healthy, poses serious challenge to its opponents.
 
"All our starters are very dangerous big hitters," Kupferberg said with confidence.
 
The Hornets (10-3) come into the game as a strong challenger to the Bison's reign. The two teams finished in a first-place tie in the regular season and met in the conference championship with the Bison prevailing and advancing to the NCAA Tournament for sixth time in seven years. Delaware State had a nine-game win streak stopped in a 3-2 loss at the University of West Virginia in its most recent game.
 
"Delaware State is a very smart team," Kupferberg expressed. "They have a number of recruits from Puerto Rico and they play at a very fast pace, which is highly unusual. We have to adapt to their speed and not get flustered."
 
GAME NOTES: Delaware State and Howard rank among the MEAC leaders in several statistical categories: The Hornets lead the conference in digs, service aces and in blocks while the Bison rank No. 1 in assists, kills and opponent service aces. Senior setter Kayla Diaz (Nanuet, N.Y.), who has received MEAC Setter of the Week recognition twice this season, and sophomore middle blocker Cimone Woodard (Missouri City, Texas) were voted to the MEAC honorable mention team this past week for their contributions. The two conference opponents face each other again, this time in Dover, Del. (October 20 at 6 p.m.).
 
NEXT UP: Sunday (Oct. 25), Howard travels to Princess Anne, Md., for another conference matchup against Maryland Eastern Shore at 3 p.m. The Hornets play Norfolk State Sunday at 3 pm in Norfolk, Va.

For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.