WASHINGTON (September 21, 2024) – Howard University women's volleyball team dropped its first home match of the season Saturday night, falling to High Point (HPU) in straight sets (19-25, 18-25, 22-25) at Burr Gymnasium.
 
Offensively, junior outside hitter Rya McKinnon (Hoover, Ala.) led the way with 15 kills and a pair of service aces.
 
Trailing after game one, 1-0, senior outside hitter Bria Woodard (Missouri City, Texas) tied the contest early with a kill, 4-4, but HPU (7-4) scored five unanswered in set two, 9-4, and never looked back; thus, taking a commanding 2-0 match lead.
 
Both squads went back-and-forth early on in game three until the Bison created separation with an ace by McKinnon and a pair of kills from Dami Awojobi (Hempstead, N.Y.) and Amanda Ifeanyichukwu (The Woodlands, Texas), 15-12. High Point responded, scoring five unanswered points to take the lead late, 17-15.
 
HU battled back and tied the set, 18-18, thanks to another kill from Ifeanyichukwu, but back-to-back hitting errors gave the Panthers a slight edge late, 20-18. Howard pulled within one, 22-21, but HPU closed the match on a 3-1 spurt to win, 25-22.
 
Woodard finished with seven kills, followed by Awojobi (6).
 
For HPU, Dylan Maberry notched a double-double (13 kills & 10 digs) in the victory.
 
Howard (6-5) opens conference play with a pair of matchups down south. HU battles South Carolina State University Friday (Sept. 27) at 6 p.m., followed by a 1 p.m., start time against North Carolina Central University.
 
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.