WASHINGTON - Howard volleyball ended the weekend on a high note with a 3-2 comeback win (19-25, 18-25, 25-23, 25-19, 15-12) over Morgan State Sunday afternoon in Burr Gymnasium. The feat moves Howard to a 4-8,1-1 MEAC overall record while the Bars fall 7-5, 1-1 MEAC.

Howard started the first set strong, quickly jumping out to a 2-0 lead. However, Morgan State responded with a surge of its own, flipping the momentum and taking a 6-4 advantage. The Bison weren't rattled, though, bouncing back with an 8-6 lead fueled by a decisive 4-0 run sparked by Alexys James' energy and key plays. Morgan fought to keep pace and managed to inch ahead again, pulling away to a 15-11 lead. As the set progressed, the Lady Bears extended their advantage, eventually reaching a daunting 23-13 lead and seemingly putting the set out of reach. Not going down without a fight, the Bison locked down defensively at set point, going on an uninterrupted 5-0 run, holding Morgan in place and cutting into the lead. Despite the late charge, Morgan State held out, closing out the set 25-19.

Howard broke out to a 3-1 lead before Motgan took a 6-0 run for a 10-6 lead advantage. The Bison responded, rallying back with a 6-0 run of their own to reclaim the lead at 13-11, sparked by a strong offensive led by Rya McKinnon. The Bears quickly flipped the momentum again with an uncontested 4-0 charge, regaining control of the set. Morgan State continued to pull away, widening the gap to 21-15, capping the run with an ace. Despite the deficit, Howard showed resilience, holding the Bears at set point for the second time in the match with a kill. MSU responded with a kill to close the set 25-18.

Needing a win, Howard came out with urgency in the third set, opening the scoring behind a block from Rya McKinnon and Kaitlynn Robinson to take a 2-0 lead. Morgan State edged ahead 5-4 shortly after, but the set quickly evolved into a tightly contested battle with neither team leading by more than three points. Howard, working to close the deficit, tied the score at 13-13 after back-to-back kills. Momentum began to shift in Howard's favor with Zenia Jethroe and Kennedi Wright coming up with a big block for 16-all. An attack error gave the Bison a 17-16 lead. The score locked three more times before consecutive kills from Jethroe broke Howard past the 20-point mark, 20-19. With the pressure mounting, Gabby Allen delivered a clutch service ace to inch Howard ahead 22-21. Another crucial block from McKinnon and Robinson brought up set point, before freshman standout Alexys James sealed it with a kill to give the Bison their first set win of the afternoon, 25-23.

Howard opened the fourth set with a kill from Rya McKinnon, setting the tone early. The teams traded points with the score tied four times before the Bison broke away with a commanding 5-0 run to take a 9-4 lead. Morgan State responded with a strong 6-0 run led by Jada Williams, turning the momentum and pulling ahead 11-10, forcing a Howard timeout. The timeout worked to Howard's advantage as McKinnon spearheaded a 4-0 run, notching three kills, while Zenia Jethroe and Corrine Howard combined for a block to extend the lead to 14-11. Back-to-back kills from Kaitlynn Robinson pushed the Bison further ahead at 17-13, prompting Morgan State to regroup. Despite Morgan's efforts, Howard steadily pulled away, building a 22-15 advantage. A service error by Morgan State concluded the set 25-19 in favor of Howard, securing the Bison's second set win of the match.

The final set was a tightly contested battle from the start, with the score tied seven times across the first eight points. After switching sides, Howard broke the stalemate with a key kill, taking an 11-9 lead. As the set and match neared their conclusion, pivotal challenges were called in Howard's favor, shifting momentum decisively toward the Bison. Riding the momentum, freshman standout Alexys James delivered a crucial block-kill combo to close out the set 15-12, capping Howard's comeback and securing the match victory.

Rya McKinnon led with a game-high 27 kills while Alexys James marked her first career triple-double with a team-leading 29 assists, 14 kills, and 10 digs. HU delivered a strong offensive performance with 63 kills and a hitting percentage of .255, while Morgan State recorded 58 kills and a slightly higher hitting percentage of .273. Defensively, Howard made a significant impact with 12 total blocks, featuring key contributions from Rya McKinnon, Zenia Jethroe, and Kaitlynn Robinson.

The Bison are back in action on Friday, October 3rd at 6 PM when they face Delaware State on the road.

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