WASHINGTON (September 24, 2023) – Howard volleyball earned its second straight sweep Sunday afternoon with a 3-0 victory (25-18, 25-19, 25-23) over North Carolina Central (NCCU).
 
With the win, the Bison (6-8, 2-0) extend their win streak to three (season-long).
 
Reigning Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Player of the Year sophomore Rya McKinnon (Hoover, Ala.) filled the stat sheet, finishing with nine kills, three digs, two total blocks and two service aces in the victory.
 
In game one, the Bison jumped out to a 9-4 lead, but the Eagles closed the gap to a 1-point deficit with three consecutive kills by Jeslyn Spencer (Ewa Beach, Hawaii), 9-8. NCCU attempted to keep up pace with the Bison but two uninterrupted runs gave Howard a 23-13 advantage. With the end of the first set drawing near, the Eagles kicked it up a notch with four uncontested points to keep the set alive. Newcomer Kaitlynn Robinson (Oklahoma City) stopped the Eagles mid-flight with an explosive kill to close the set, 25-18.
 
The Eagles opened the scoring in set two, but the Bison quickly took over with a 12-5 advantage. A sprinkling of errors aided the Eagles inching closer, 19-14. With the Bison approaching set point once again, the Eagles kicked it up a gear, holding the Bison off for four more points before McKinnon claimed the set with a kill, 25-19.
 
The break served the Eagles well as they were able to keep close to the Bison through nine points. With the Bison beginning to get a slight edge, the Eagles pulled out a four-point run for a 13-11 lead before junior Dami Awojobi (Hempstead, N.Y.) broke it up with consecutive kills. HU soon regained the upper hand with four uncontested points of their own for a two-point lead, 16-14. The Eagles determined not to fall behind tied it up with an ace, 16-16. Three straight errors lifted the Eagles ahead to a 19-18 score. Back-to-back kills gave the Bison a slim one-point lead 20-19. Fighting to force a fourth set, the Eagles regained the lead 21-20 with an ace from grad student Isa Dostal (Ljubljana, Slovenia). With three powerful kills into Eagle territory, the Bison earned a 23-21 advantage to the cheers of the crowd. The Eagles called a timeout to regroup. The step back proved fruitful as NCCU got off two more point, holding the Bison at set match, 24-23. Senior standout Jennifer Bolden (Los Angeles) notched her ninth kill of the night, closing the final set, 25-23.
 
Robinson finished the afternoon with seven kills and six total blocks (one solo) while third-year Bison Bria Woodard (Missouri City, Texas) had a match-high four service aces in the win.
 
For NCCU (1-10, 0-2 MEAC), Spencer produced a team-leading eight kills in the loss.
 
The Bison take off for their first away conference game, September 29, at 6 p.m. when they face rival and reigning MEAC Champions Delaware State in Dover, Del.
 
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.