BALTIMORE (November 20, 2025) — Howard University volleyball (17–10, 10–4 MEAC) opened the 2025 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Tournament with a commanding sweep of Norfolk State (25–15, 25–15, 25–20) Thursday evening inside the Physical Education Complex.
 
The win marked Howard's sixth straight victory over a conference opponent and secured its place in Friday's (Nov. 21) semifinal round.
 
The matchup also came just days after several Bison earned postseason honors, including MEAC Setter of the Year Leah Reeves (Allen, Texas), First Team selections Rya McKinnon (Hoover, Ala.) and Zenai Jethroe (Dallas) and All-Rookie and Second Team honoree Alexys James (Houston).
 
Howard controlled the opening set, surging out to a 5–2 lead, following kills from McKinnon and a strong swing by Gabby Allen (Laurel, Md.). The Bison continued to build momentum behind sharp serving from Reeves and Aziah Buckner (Memphis, Tenn.), pushing the score, 13–9, after a Kill from Kristen Dear (Carson, Calif.). A dominant 8–1 run featuring kills from Jethroe, Dear and Allen, along with consecutive service aces by Reeves, stretched the advantage, 21–10. Howard closed out the frame, 25–15, after James delivered the final kill off a feed from Reeves.
 
The Bison again seized control early in the second set, turning a tight back-and-forth into a 10–7 lead, utilizing an uninterrupted five-point run led by back-to-back kills from Dear and Buckner. Howard's block and aggressive serving took over the middle of the set as McKinnon and Kaitlynn Robinson (Oklahoma City) powered key points to widen the margin. Halie McGinest (Calabasas, Calif.) then took over from the service line, dropping in back-to-back aces to extend the lead, 16–8. The Bison continued to dictate play with James and Kennedi Wright (Plano, Texas) stepping up late in the frame. Howard secured another 25–15 win and a 2–0 match lead after Wright connected on a kill from Reeves.
 
The third set featured stronger execution from the Bison, who jumped ahead, 3-0, on McGinest's service rotation before extending the lead, 8–4, behind kills from Robinson and James. Norfolk State made its strongest push of the night, cutting the deficit, 12–10, but Howard regained control with a decisive run fueled by Jethroe and Wright. McKinnon, who delivered timely swings all evening, added two key kills late in the frame before Jethroe connected once more to set up match point. McKinnon then finished the sweep, putting down the final ball for a 25–20 victory.
 
Howard's balanced attack was led by McKinnon, who finished with 11 kills and five digs. Jethroe delivered one of the most efficient outings of the tournament with eight kills on .800 hitting while Wright added seven kills in the win. James chipped in seven kills, one ace and strong front-row production and Reeves directed the offense with 36 assists, two aces and two blocks.
 
Defensively, Claire Simpson (Plainfield, Ill.) anchored the back line with a match-high 19 digs while Camryn Shelton (Charlotte, N.C.) added 12 digs of her own.
 
The Bison outperformed Norfolk State in every major statistical category, finishing with a 43–20 kills advantage while hitting .330 to their opponent's .043. Howard also held edges in aces (8–5), blocks (12–6), assists (40–18) and digs (50–38), continuing the team's late-season surge in efficiency and defensive pressure.
 
No. 2 Howard returns to action Friday (Nov. 21) at 8 p.m., in Baltimore, taking on No. 6 seed UMES (Maryland Eastern Shore) in the MEAC Tournament Semifinals.
 
For more information on Howard volleyball, visit the official Howard Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.