WASHINGTON — Howard volleyball snapped Delaware State's two-match win streak and got back into the win column Friday evening, earning a 3–0 (25–20, 25–13, 25–22) sweep inside Burr Gymnasium. With the win, the Bison improved to 12–9 overall and 6–4 in conference play, while the Hornets dropped to 9–15 (5–5 MEAC).

The opening set was tightly contested early as both teams traded points to an 11–11 tie. Howard began to pull away behind a balanced attack led by Alexys James (Houston, Texas) and Rya McKinnon (Hoover, Ala.), who each registered multiple kills during a 6–1 Bison run that made it 17–12. Aziah Buckner (Memphis, Tenn.) added a service ace and two kills to push the advantage to 21–14. Delaware State cut the deficit to 22–19, but a pair of late kills from Aaliyah Mitchell were answered by James, who put the set away 25–20 with her fourth kill of the frame. Howard hit .594 in the opening frame, recording 21 kills on 32 swings.

The Bison came out firing in the second, jumping to a 9–4 lead behind kills from McKinnon, James, and Zenai Jethroe (Dallas, Texas). Setter Leah Reeves (Allen, Texas) fueled the offense with a service ace and several assists during a 6–1 run that extended the margin to 15–8. Claire Simpson (Plainfield, Ill.) sparked a closing surge with back-to-back aces and defensive digs as Howard finished the frame on a 10–5 surge to take it 25–13. Howard's offense continued to roll with 11 kills and three service aces while holding Delaware State to just eight kills and a .125 hitting percentage in the set.

Delaware State opened the third set on a 4–0 run before a Howard timeout steadied the Bison. A service ace by McKinnon and kills from Jethroe and James tied things at 7–7. From there, Howard used another 5–1 stretch highlighted by kills from Buckner and Kristen Dear (Carson, Calif.) to take a 12–8 lead. The Hornets inched back to level the board 18–18. McKinnon's service ace put the Bison up 20–18, and back-to-back kills by James and Buckner gave Howard set point. Jethroe sealed the sweep with her eighth kill of the night, closing the match 25–22.

James led with a team-high 12 kills, posting a .435 hitting percentage, adding two blocks and an assist. McKinnon followed with 10 kills and a match-high four service aces, while Buckner added nine kills, seven digs, and an ace. Reeves controlled the offense with 42 assists and contributed three aces and five digs. Simpson anchored the back row with 10 digs to pace the Bison defense. Dear also added to the statline, tallying seven kills on .778 hitting and a team-best four blocks.

Howard dominated statistically, leading 46–37 in kills, 11–2 in service aces, and 62–44 in total points, while also finishing with a .389 hitting percentage compared to Delaware State's .279. The Bison also outdug the Hornets 31–29 and totaled eight team blocks. 

The Bison return to action Sunday, November 2 at 1 p.m., traveling to Princess Anne, Md., to face Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) in their final road match of the regular season.

For more information on Howard volleyball, visit the official Howard Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.