WASHINGTON (September 22, 2023) – Howard volleyball set off conference play with a 3-0 sweep (25-18, 25-17, 25-22) over the South Carolina State (S.C. State) Bulldogs Friday night.
 
Junior outside hitter Bria Woodard (Missouri City, Texas) led the Bison offense, ending the night with eight kills.
 
The conference underdogs came out hungry with a 5-2 lead, but the Bulldogs' momentum was hindered when the Bison went on a short run to grab the lead 6-5 before pulling away, 13-7. Three consecutive points, highlighted with an ace by junior Hailey Harris (Houston), closed the gap, 13-10.
 
S.C. State's short surge would fizzle out as Howard gained momentum, sailing to a 21-12 advantage. With the Bison approaching set point, the Bulldogs kicked it into overdrive, holding off the conference powerhouse for seven points before falling, 25-18, in the first set.
 
The second set saw more even competition as the scoreboard tied 16 times. A five-count run from the Bison agitated the Bulldogs into a timeout before reigning Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Player of the Year Rya McKinnon (Hoover, Ala.) closed out the set with an ace, 25-17.
 
In the closest set of the night, the Bulldogs managed 22 points off eight kills and a collection of errors, but the combination fell short as the Bison claimed the set, 25-22.
 
Although evenly matched at times, the Bison remained dominant across all fronts, besting the Bulldogs in kills (41-25), hitting percentage (.276-.091), assists (33-19), aces (9-2), digs (32-22) and blocks (7-2).
 
Newcomer setter Sydnei Jones (Bridgeville, Pa.) added a game-high 17 assists to her budding accolades while second-year Bison libero Claire Simpson (Plainville, Ill.) held down the defense with 10 digs.
 
For S.C. State (0-14, 0-1 MEAC), Eleisha Thompson had a team-leading six kills in the loss.
 
The Bison return to The Burr Sunday, September 24, when they host North Carolina Central at 3 p.m.
 
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.