WASHINGTON (October 1, 2026) — Howard University women's volleyball (3-11, 2-1 MEAC) earned its first home win of the season Thursday, defeating Delaware State (11-6, 2-1 MEAC), 3-1, with set scores of 25-23, 25-20, 23-25 and 25-19.
Howard trailed, 12-8, in the opening set before rallying with six straight points to take a 14-12 advantage.
Zenai Jethroe (Dallas) sparked the run with three consecutive kills while the Dallas native and
Alexys James (Houston) teamed up for a block during the surge. Delaware State (DSU) answered to tie the set, 14-14, and the teams continued to trade points down the stretch. Howard moved ahead, 21-19, before the Hornets evened the score, 21-21. The Bison regained the lead, 22-21, and reached set point, 24-22. After DSU cut the margin to one, but James closed the set with a kill for the 25-23 victory.
Howard carried the momentum into the second set, opening with a 6-1 run. The Bison extended their lead, 12-4, with
Estrella Vazquez (Baton Rouge, La.) recording back-to-back aces before joining
Easnadh Nobel To'olo (Orono, Maine) and
Tiana Stubbs (Fredericksburg, Va.) on a block. Howard pushed its advantage, 16-7, until Delaware State mounted a late push, scoring seven-of-the-next 12 points to pull within four, 23-19, but HU answered with a service error from the Hornets to reach set point. DSU scored once more before James finished the set with a kill from
Sydnei Jones (Bridgeville, Pa.), giving the Bison a 25-20 win and a 2-0 match lead.
The third set featured another strong start from Howard, which turned a 5-5 tie into a 10-5 advantage. The Bison continued to control the set, but Delaware State responded to cut the deficit late, 20-19. HU stopped the run and moved ahead, 21-19, but the Hornets answered by scoring four-of-the-next five points to take a 23-22 lead. Howard tied the set, 23-23, but DSU scored the final two points to take the set, 25-23, and cut Howard's match lead, 2-1.
Delaware State opened the fourth set with a 1-0 lead before the Bison answered with three straight points. The Hornets eventually moved ahead, 15-14, but Howard responded with four consecutive points to take an 18-15 advantage. Delaware State pulled within one, 19-18, but the Bison closed the match strong. HU scored six-of-the-final seven points, including kills from
Dayion Johnson (Jasper, Ala.) and a pair of blocks involving the Alabama product and
Kaitlynn Robinson (Oklahoma City). Johnson's kill from James made it 22-18 and Howard reached match point, 24-18, before Delaware State scored once more. The Bison then secured the 25-19 set win on a Delaware State attack error, completing the 3-1 victory.
Jethroe led Howard with 17 kills on 26 attacks while hitting .500. She added one ace and five blocks and earned McDonald's Player of the Game honors.
James recorded nine kills on a .389 hitting percentage, along with 16 assists, two aces, three block assists and seven digs.
Addison Buckner (Menomonee Falls, Wis.) also contributed nine kills and eight digs.
Jones finished with 26 assists and six digs while
Camryn Shelton (Charlotte, N.C.) registered 11 digs and two aces. Johnson added seven kills and four block assists while Robinson recorded six blocks.
Howard returns to action Sunday, Oct. 4, at 1 p.m., in Princess Anne, Md., against Maryland Eastern Shore.
For more information on Howard women's volleyball, visit the official Howard Athletics website
www.hubison.com.
