WASHINGTON (August 30, 2024) - Behind a strong effort from the outside hitter duo Rya McKinnon (Hoover, Ala.) and Dami Awojobi (Hempstead, N.Y.), the Howard University volleyball team opened its 2024 season in victory with a 3-1 (25-22, 20-25, 25-17, 25-22) win over George Mason (GMU) on day one of the DMV Invitational Friday evening.
 
The Bison's triumph moved the squad to 1-0 on the season while the Patriots dropped to 0-1 overall.
 
McKinnon, MEAC (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) Preseason Player of the Year, produced a double-double with 15 kills and 10 digs while also adding in three aces. Awojobi also hit double digits, notching 11 kills of her own.
 
In game one, Howard broke out to a 5-0 lead before utilizing multiple back-to-back attack errors to inch away. Working their way to close the gap, the Patriots capitalized on an ace sandwiched by missteps to even the board, 21-21. Awojobi halted GMU's comeback with a kill before going on to close the set, 25-22.
 
In set two, the Bison were first on the board yet again but a short surge quickly put the Patriots up, 8-3. GMU maintained the lead with Howard threatening to even the playing field with consecutive kills by Awojobi, 13-11. The Patriots would continue to pull away to a 21-15 lead before taking the set, 25-20.
 
Looking to get ahead in game three, the Bison went on an 11-3 run utilizing consecutive aces and three kills from McKinnon. The Patriots struggled to keep up as the Bison posted a final 6-2 push to claim the third set with the largest advantage of the night, 25-17.
 
In set four, the two teams fought to a 7-7 tie early on, but a service ace and three errors forced by senior libero Claire Simpson (Plainfield, Ill.) pulled HU away, 11-7, before GMU tied the board again with a 4-0 run of their own, 11-11. The battle persisted seeing six more ties before a four-kill run, led by newcomer Halie McGinest (Calabasas, Calif.), earned the final point for the Bison, 25-22.
 
Defensively, Simpson finished the night with a match-leading 26 digs while middle blockers Cimone Woodard (Missouri City, Texas) and Maya Gerlach (Philadelphia) racked up eight total blocks apiece.
 
For George Mason, Ewelina Gacek notched a double-double (11 kills & 10 digs) in a loss effort.
 
The Bison return to action August 31 at 1 p.m., when they face George Washington across town to continue the DMV Invitational.
 
For more information visit the official Howard Athletics website at www.hubison.com.