DOVER, Del. (November 19, 2023) – No. 2 Howard University women's volleyball team saw its title run come to an end after a straight set loss (20-25, 24-26, 19-25) to top-seeded Coppin State (CSU) in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Title match.
 
Junior middle blocker Cimone Woodard (Missouri City, Texas) led the way with a team-best 10 kills while eclipsing a .500 hitting percentage.
 
In game one, both clubs went back-and-forth early on until the Bison held a four-point advantage midway through the game, 16-12. CSU (27-4) battled back and reclaimed the momentum late, finishing the set with back-to-back kills from Laila Ibrahim, 25-20.
 
Howard trailed early in game two but fought back and took its first lead after a kill by Woodard, 14-13. HU kept the momentum going, ballooning the margin to seven after a kill from third-year Bison Dami Awojobi (Hempstead, N.Y.), 23-16. Despite outhitting the Eagles in set two, Howard committed 10 hitting errors, which kept Coppin State in the game.
 
Gradually, CSU clawed its away back and outscored the Bison, 10-1, including a 5-0 spurt to close out the game, 26-24. From that point, the Eagles took a commanding 2-0 match lead.
 
In set three, HU's hitting woes continued with 10 more hitting errors. Howard grabbed the upper hand early, 4-1, but it was short lived as CSU went on a 10-2 run and held a five-point lead, 11-6.
 
Howard pulled within one on multiple occasions in game three, but unable to get over the hump. With Coppin State ahead only by one, 17-16, CSU finished the contest on an 8-3 spurt to claim its first-ever MEAC title, 25-19.
 
Senior outside hitter Jennifer Bolden (Los Angeles) recorded nine kills while two-time MEAC Player of the Year Rya McKinnon (Hoover, Ala.) added seven kills and seven digs in the loss. Both Bison were named to the All-Tournament Team.
 
For CSU, TaKenya Stafford was named the tournament's Outstanding Performer after racking up 12 kills with a .480 hitting performance.
 
Howard (17-14) secured its third straight winning season since COVID-19.
 
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.