ORANGEBURG, Sc. – Howard volleyball improved to 8–9 overall and 4–2 in MEAC play with a dominant 3–0 (25–13, 25–15, 25–15) road victory over South Carolina State (0–17, 0–6 MEAC) on Sunday afternoon at Dukes Gymnasium. The Bison controlled the match from start to finish, hitting .333 as a team while limiting the Bulldogs to just .068.

Howard opened the scoring with Rya McKinnon (Hoover, Ala.) putting down the first kill of the match. The Bison quickly built a 4–1 lead behind early kills from Kaitlynn Robinson (Oklahoma City, Okla.) and McKinnon, then extended the margin to 8–3 on a solo block from Zenai Jethroe (Dallas, Texas). Howard continued to dominate the frame, using a 5–0 run highlighted by a service ace from Leah Reeves (Allen, Texas) to go up 17–9. A late ace from Claire Simpson (Plainfield, Ill.) stretched the advantage to 22–12 before Jethroe closed the door with three straight kills to finish off a commanding 25–13 win in the opening set.

Howard carried its momentum into the second set, racing out to a 4–0 lead behind early kills from Aziah Buckner (Memphis), McKinnon, and Jethroe. Reeves added a service ace to extend the advantage to 7–2, and the Bison maintained control throughout. Buckner and Jethroe continued to pace the offense as Howard pushed the margin to 13–7 before Robinson anchored the front line with a pair of key blocks to help stretch the lead to 17–10. McKinnon and Alexys James (Houston) each added late kills before Buckner and James finished the frame with back-to-back points to secure a 25–15 victory and a 2–0 lead.

South Carolina State showed more tenacity in the third, grabbing its largest lead of the day at 5–3 after back-to-back aces. Howard responded with four unanswered points to regain control at 8–6, but the Bulldogs continued to battle, evening the score at 11–11. Halie McGinest (Calabasas, Calif.) put the Bison back in front with an ace to spark a 6–0 surge highlighted by three Buckner kills and capped by Simpson's final ace of the match for a 22–13 advantage. Buckner then sealed the sweep with the match-clinching kill as Howard rolled to a 25–15 victory to complete the 3–0 win.

Statistically, Howard dominated across the board, outhitting South Carolina State .333 to .068 while holding decisive advantages in kills (46–19), assists (46–19), digs (57–40), and total points (55–29). Buckner led the way with 11 kills, 13 digs, and an ace for her third double-double of the season. McKinnon and Jethroe each added nine kills, while Robinson posted a team-high three blocks. Reeves directed the attack with 35 assists, and Simpson anchored the defense with 17 digs and two aces.

The Bison are back in action on Friday, October 17, when they host Norfolk State at 6 p.m. in their Breast Cancer Awareness Game.

For more information, visit the official Howard Athletics website at www.hubison.com.