WASHINGTON (October 11, 2024) - Howard University volleyball team posted its fifth consecutive sweep of the season Friday night, besting the Morgan State Bears in three sets (25-15, 25-19, 25-22).
 
The Bears were first on the board, but the Bison quickly took over with five straight kills, led by Rya McKinnon (Hoover, Ala.) for a 5-1 lead.
 
Morgan State (MSU) sophomore Maya Karrick (Shorewood, Minn.) set up back-to-back attacks for the Bears to bring MSU within two, 9-7. HU went on another five-point run to more than double the score, 15-7. A 6-3 charge from Morgan State kept the Bears afloat, 18-13. The effort fell short as Dami Awojobi (Hempstead, N.Y.) sent over a kill to start the Bison's final charge of the set and ended it with an ace, 25-15.
 
MSU opened the scoring once again, jumping out to an 8-4 advantage. The Bears continued to pull away, 13-6, forcing a Bison timeout to regroup. The new game plan proved fruitful as Howard went on an uninterrupted five-point run, led by McKinnon and Bria Woodard (Missouri city, Texas), 13-11. The sudden charge moved Morgan State to regroup and produce a kill out of the break, 14-11. A 6-3 run saw two even scoreboards at 14-14 and 17-17, but a 7-1 run spearheaded by Awojobi soon made it set point. Connecting with an assist from reigning Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Setter of the Week Leah Reeves (Allen, Texas), Awojobi dealt the last blow, taking the second set, 25-19.
 
Howard broke out to a 10-4 lead with the Bears' only points coming from errors across the net. With consecutive kills from McKinnon and an ace from Woodard, Howard eclipsed Morgan State, 14-6. The Bears broke up the Bisons' sprint, posting their first kill of the set, 14-7. MSU began to find their footing, going on a 9-4 run while aiming to push a fourth set, but high-flying kills from McKinnon and Awojobi cut the Bears short as they closed it out, 25-22.
 
In recognition of their Botswana Day game, fans, along with representatives from the Botswana Embassy, were treated to the first look of Beyond the American Net – a short film on Howard Volleyball's trip to Africa over the summer.
 
The Bison are back in action Sunday, October 13 at 1 p.m., when they host Coppin State on Jersey Day.
 
For more information visit the official Howard Athletics website www.hubison.com.