WASHINGTON (October 23, 2024) - Howard University volleyball team kept the streak alive with Wednesday night's 3-2 (23-25, 8-25, 25-19, 27-25, 15-13) win over UMBC in Burr gymnasium.
 
The victory marks the first win over UMBC since 2018 and fourth overall win against the Retrievers. The matchup now serves as the longest between the two Beltway teams in history.
 
A 7-1 run, led by Rya McKinnon (Hoover, Ala.), gave Howard a comfortable lead early on. The Bison nearly doubled the score, 13-7, before the Retrievers inched their way to a two-point deficit, 18-16. Three straight points would give UMBC a slight 20-19 advantage, prompting the Bison to regroup. The timeout worked in Howard's favor, popping out to a 23-22 lead before back-to-back kills earned the Retrievers their first match point, 25-23.
 
Keeping their charge going in the second, UMBC worked their way to a 4-0 upper hand. Howard answered back with five points, highlighted by a service ace from Halie McGinest (Calabasas, Calif.), 6-5. The Retrievers went on an uninterrupted 14-point run for a 20-5 advantage. Both, Bria Woodard and Cimone Woodard (Missouri City, Texas), each tacked on a point for the Bison before UMBC earned their second set win, 25-8.
 
It was Howard's turn to open the scoring, but consecutive service aces helped lift UMBC, 5-2. Led by McKinnon and Dami Awojobi (Hempstead, N.Y.), the Bison fought their way back to a 17-16 deficit, staying neck-and-neck in a 14-12 run. Back-to-back kills from the Bison and a successful attack from Awojobi gave Howard their second lead of the set, 19-18. A ball to the net would even the board, 19-19, before the Bison ran away on an uncontested six-point run for their first win of the night, forcing a fourth set, 25-19.
 
Keeping the fourth frame close, both teams worked their way to a quick 6-6 draw, but the Retrievers soon found their way on top, climbing to a 10-6 lead. Working to close the gap, Awojobi and C. Woodard kicked off a HU surge with a block to bring the Bison within two, 16-14. Four straight points saw the tables turn in Howard's favor, boasting a two-point lead, 18-16. Three straight from UMBC exchanged the lead, but not for long, as the Bison tied it up, 19-19, on an attack error. Aziah Buckner (Memphis, Tenn.) erupted the crowd with a powerful kill in the middle of stunned Retrievers for a 20-19 advantage. UMBC evened the board once again, 20-20, but the Bison were not going down easy. Four straight attacks made it set point in Howard's favor, 24-20. Working to end the matchup, UMBC managed two kills to keep the Bison at bay, 24-22. Formulating a final game plan, Howard called a timeout. The break resulted in three straight points to cut the deficit, 25-24. Buckner tied the board, 25-25, with another big kill before Amanda Ifeanyichukwu (The Woodlands, Texas) sealed the deal for the Bison, 27-25.
 
UMBC broke out to the lead for the final time of the night, but the Bison stayed close behind. A 5-2 run, capped by an ace from Claire Simpson (Plainfield, Ill.), gave Howard a slight 7-6 edge. Fans saw five even scores before the Bison closed it out with a kill from Buckner, 15-13.
 
Next up, the Bison host South Carolina State Friday, October 25, at 6 p.m., for Senior Night.
 
For more information visit the official Howard Athletics website www.hubison.com.