BALTIMORE, Md. — Howard University volleyball closed its regular season Saturday evening, falling to Coppin State, 3–1 (21–25, 22–25, 25–18, 20–25), at the Physical Education Complex. With the result, the Bison conclude the year at 18–11 overall (10–4 MEAC) while Coppin State improved to 23–11 (13–1 MEAC).

Howard opened the match with steady pressure in set one, taking early leads of 2–1, 5–4, and 7–6 behind kills from Texas natives Zenai Jethroe (Dallas, Texas) and Alexys James (Houston, Texas). The Bison continued to trade points with the Eagles as the frame moved into an 11–11 tie after a three-point Howard surge. Coppin responded with a mid-set push, stringing together points to lead 15–13, then extending the advantage to 19–13 following a service ace and a pair of Howard attack errors. Kennedi Wright (Plano, Texas) and Kristen Dear (Carson, Calif.) helped the Bison climb back within 21–18, but Coppin closed the opener, 25–21, to take a 1–0 match lead.

Set two remained tight from the opening rally, with the teams locked at 2–2, 4–4, and 6–6 before Howard fell behind 9-6 before back-to-back kills from Rya McKinnon (Hoover, Ala.) brought the Bison within one 11-10. Coppin continued to maintain slight control, leading 13–12 and again 17–15, before a Bison burst tied the frame at 19–19. The Eagles fought back, countering with a 3–0 run to take the lead 23–21. Despite another Howard side-out, Coppin secured the set, 25–22, to build a 2–0 advantage.

Howard responded with its sharpest stretch in the third. After trailing 2–1 early, the Bison surged ahead 6–2 behind a service run from Camryn Shelton that included two aces. The lead grew to 9–3 following a block from Dear and McKinnon, and Howard continued to dictate play, taking a 13–5 cushion after a McKinnon kill. Coppin trimmed the deficit to 18–14, but Howard quickly rebuilt control behind Leah Reeves and McKinnon to push ahead 20–14. The Bison maintained momentum through the finish, taking the frame 25–18 to cut the match deficit to 2–1.

Coppin regained its footing in set four, pushing ahead 6–4 following an early service ace. Howard battled back to a 7-6 lead and later trailed only 12–10 after a service ace from Leah Reeves. The Eagles then created separation with a 7–1 run to move ahead 19–11, but Howard again fought back, pulling within 22–17 on kills from McKinnon and Buckner. Coppin steadied in the closing stretch, holding off the Bison's late push to claim the set 25–20 and secure the match.

McKinnon led the Bison with 14 kills and eight digs, while Buckner added nine kills and Jethroe contributed eight kills and a team-best .353 hitting percentage. Reeves paced the offense with 38 assists, nine digs, and a service ace, and Shelton anchored the back row with seven digs and a match-high three aces. Dear finished with eight kills and a team-leading five blocks, while James added seven kills in a strong supporting effort.

As a team, Howard totaled 50 kills, 38 assists, 39 digs, and nine team blocks, while Coppin State finished with 53 kills, 51 assists, 48 digs, and 12 blocks. The Bison hit .203 overall and held Coppin to under .100 in set three, but the Eagles posted a .333 clip in the final frame to close out the afternoon.

Howard closes the 2025 regular season at 18–11 (.621 winning percentage), marking another strong campaign for the program.

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