DURHAM, N.C. (October 10, 2025) — Howard University volleyball (9-7, 3-2 MEAC) battled to a 3-2 (23-25, 25-18, 24-26, 25-18, 15-10) road victory over North Carolina Central (4-13, 1-4 MEAC) Friday evening inside McDougald-McLendon Arena.
 
Howard opened the first set aggressively as Kaitlynn Robinson (Oklahoma City) rose for a solo block to give the Bison a 1-0 lead. Rya McKinnon (Hoover, Ala.) followed with back-to-back kills to put Howard ahead, 3-2. The frame remained tightly contested, featuring seven ties in the first nine points. An Aziah Buckner (Memphis, Tenn.)–Zenai Jethroe (Dallas) block put the Bison back on top, 10-9, before North Carolina Central (NCCU) answered with a 4-1 stretch to move ahead, 16-14. Robinson and McKinnon responded with timely kills, rallying Howard from a 21-19 deficit to even the score, 22-22, but the Eagles held on to edge out the opener, 25-23.
 
Howard responded with authority in the second frame, jumping out to a 3-1 lead behind early kills from Jethroe and McKinnon. The Eagles kept pace through the opening exchanges, tying the set, 9-9, before the Bison regained momentum. Robinson and McKinnon fueled a 5-1 burst to make it 14-10, highlighted by three NCCU attack errors and a McKinnon put away from the left side. North Carolina Central clawed back within one, 18-17, but Howard held firm down the stretch. Buckner delivered a pair of key kills off assists from reigning Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Setter of the Week Leah Reeves (Allen, Texas) and Camryn Shelton (Charlotte, N.C.) closed the door from the service line with three consecutive aces to cap a 5-1 finish and take the set, 25-18, evening the match at one apiece.
 
Howard carried its momentum into the third set, striking first with a Buckner service ace and a pair of quick kills from Reeves to go up, 4-2. The Bison found their rhythm early as McKinnon and Buckner fueled a 5-1 surge, capped by back-to-back blocks that forced an NCCU timeout with Howard in front, 9-4.
 
The Bison defense tightened out of the break with Buckner stuffing consecutive attacks and Jethroe adding a kill to stretch the margin, 14-6. Howard maintained control, 19-10, before the Eagles mounted a late charge, capitalizing on several Bison errors to rattle off a 10-1 run and even the set, 20-20. The teams traded points down the stretch, but North Carolina Central closed on a 6-2 spurt to steal the frame, 26-24, and reclaim a 2-1 match lead.
 
Trading points early before a 7-7 tie, the Bison seized control behind a dominant service run from Shelton, who sparked a 6-0 surge with an ace and three straight points, created by Buckner, including a solo block and two kills, giving Howard a 13-7 lead. Halie McGinest (Calabasas, Calif.) kept the pressure on with back-to-back aces, forcing NCCU's second timeout as the Bison widened the gap, 17-10.
 
North Carolina Central cut the margin late, 22-17, but Howard stayed in command, getting late kills from Robinson and McKinnon before Jethroe's solo block and another McKinnon finish capped a 25-18 victory, forcing a decisive fifth set.
 
Howard carried its momentum into the decisive fifth, racing out to a 5-1 lead behind a balanced attack from Reeves and McKinnon. Reeves sparked the early burst with a service ace and a pinpoint assist to McKinnon on the right side, forcing an NCCU timeout.
 
The Eagles clawed back to even the score, 7-7, but the Bison quickly regained control. Standout rookie Alexys James (Houston) put Howard back in front with a sharp kill through the middle and a service ace from Claire Simpson (Plainfield, Ill.) stretched the margin, 9-7. Jethroe followed with a kill to make it 10-7 before Buckner took over late, delivering a kill for 13-9 and sealing the match with a service ace to close out the set, 15-10, and the 3-2 comeback victory.
 
Statistically, the match was tight with Howard finishing with 55 kills to NCCU's 56, but the Bison held advantages in aces (11-4), blocks (9-7), assists (50-48) and digs (77-74) and outscored the Eagles 75-67.
 
McKinnon led Howard with 18 kills and 12 digs for a double-double. Reeves posted a season- and match-high 49 assists and added 12 digs — her third double-double of the season. Buckner contributed eight kills and a match-high five blocks while Jethroe added 14 kills.
 
Simpson paced the defense with 17 digs.
 
Howard returns to action Sunday, Oct. 12, at 1 p.m., when the Bison travel to South Carolina State to continue conference play.
 
For more information, visit the official Howard athletics website at www.hubison.com.