WASHINGTON – The Howard volleyball team has that championship look.
Of course, it does because it's mid-November.
It's Howard's favorite time of the year because the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) volleyball tournament is approaching. The passes are crisper. The focus is stronger. The attacks have more purpose. The defense is tighter.
Howard is entering this weekend's tournament at Delaware State with a three-match winning streak, including a victory over top-seeded Coppin State. With surgical precision, Howard is playing its best volleyball of the season, which excites veteran head coach Shaun Kupferberg.
"I am feeling good," Kupferberg said. "We've had numerous players contribute in different ways. As far as our development goes as a team, we've hit our stride late in the year, which is good. We've had different puzzle pieces, and everybody is playing well right now."
Howard has several standouts who delivered consistently brilliant efforts all season. Sophomore outside hitter Rya McKinnon leads the MEAC in kills per set (3.68). The reigning MEAC Player of the Year is remarkable and one of the elite hitters in the country. Fifth-year setter Kayla Diaz is second in the conference in assists per set (9.10) and third in aces per set (0.50). Defensive dynamo Claire Simpson, a sophomore libero, is second in digs per set (3.94).
Junior middle blocker Cimone Woodard and senior outside hitter Jennifer Bolden have been portraits of efficiency as evidenced by ranking fourth (.333) and ninth (.266) in the conference in hitting percentage, respectively. Woodard is also sixth in the conference in blocks per set (0.75).
The Bison were the 2021 tournament champions and have won six of the last eight titles, and that rich history is why Howard always expects to do well in the MEAC volleyball tournament.
Howard lost in the semifinals in last year's MEAC tournament to Delaware State. The Bison are looking to do better this year. Howard, which earned the No. 2 seed in the MEAC tournament, begins what it hopes will be a journey back to the winners' circle against No. 7 Morgan State on Friday night at Memorial Hall at 5:30 p.m. The Bison beat Morgan State twice this season, 3-1, in Baltimore on Oct. 18 and 3-0 at home on Nov. 3
"Nobody comes to Howard to finish in second place," veteran Howard head volleyball coach Kupferberg said. "It's a unique mindset when you agree to play volleyball here. Last year, we tied for the regular season title but lost in the tournament, and nobody seemed to care about the regular season title. It was a bad year as far as everybody is concerned. This group is ready and expects to win a championship every year."
Tournament play will open with the quarterfinal round on Friday, as Coppin State takes on South Carolina State at 11:30 a.m. Maryland Eastern Shore and Norfolk State will follow at 2:30 p.m.
in a 4-5 match-up, and following the Howard-Morgan State match, host Delaware State battles North Carolina Central at 8:30 p.m.
Saturday's semifinal round will begin at 5:30 p.m. with the winners of the Coppin State-South Carolina State and Norfolk State-Maryland Eastern Shore matches squaring off – then at 8:30 p.m., the Howard-Morgan State and Delaware State-North Carolina Central winners will play the other semifinal.
Sunday's championship final will be televised live at 8:30 p.m. on ESPNU.
"We've been resilient all year," Kupferberg said. "It was a tough start to the year. We were not where we wanted to be, which carried over to the start of the conference season. Fortunately, we've been able to flip the switch mentally and put ourselves in a positive place, work hard, and pull ourselves out of it. It's been a good second half of the season for us, and I am proud of this group for turning things around."
TICKET INFORMATION Tickets for the 2023 MEAC Volleyball Championship will be online and sold on-site at Memorial Hall. A weekend pass will be available for $45, while tickets for Friday's quarterfinal round will be available for $15. Saturday's semifinal tickets will go for $25, and fans can purchase tickets for Sunday's championship match for $30. Friday's quarterfinal round will welcome students 18 and younger as special guests for Youth Day. All children 18 and younger will receive free admission to the games and are encouraged to wear their team jersey's if they participate in local sports.
