DOVER, Del. — Howard volleyball (7-15, 6-4 MEAC) fell to Delaware State (16-8, 7-3 MEAC), 3-1 (22-25, 25-22, 17-25, 20-25), Thursday evening at Memorial Hall.
The Hornets built an early 5-2 advantage, but Howard answered with a run to tie the score at 6-6 before taking an 8-7 lead. The teams continued trading points, reaching a 14-14 stalemate. Delaware State gradually built a lead, moving ahead 19-16, but Howard rallied to cut the score 19-18.
Zenai Jethroe (Dallas, Texas) evened the board at 19-19 with a kill. Howard stayed within reach, but the Hornets held on to take the first set, 25-22.
Howard responded with an ace from
Addison Buckner (Menomonee Falls, Wis.) to open the second frame. The Bison used a series of Delaware State errors to build an early 7-4 advantage. Howard continued to pull away midway through the set, with a kill by
Corinne Howard (Derwood, Md.) helping extend the lead to 14-9. Buckner added consecutive kills as the Bison pushed their advantage to 18-11. A kill from
Gabby Allen (Laurel, Md.) made it 20-12. Delaware State mounted a late rally, cutting the deficit to 21-18, but Howard maintained its lead.
Tiana Stubbs (Fredericksburg, Va.) added a kill, and
Briana Pagan (Dorado, Puerto Rico) delivered the set-clinching point, 25-22, to tie the match at one set apiece.
Howard opened the third set with a 3-2 advantage, but the Hornets responded with four consecutive points to move ahead, 6-3. The Bison stayed close, trailing 10-8, before Delaware State extended its lead to 13-10 and then 16-12. The Hornets took control with a six-point stretch that pushed the score to 22-14. Howard added three points late, including a kill by
Sydnei Jones (Bridgeville, Pa.), but Delaware State closed out the set 25-17 to take a 2-1 match advantage.
Delaware State opened the final set with three straight points, but Howard worked its way back into the frame, narrowing the margin to 5-4. The Bison continued to battle, and a kill by Buckner helped keep Howard within striking distance at 16-12. Delaware State then scored six consecutive points to extend its lead to 22-15. Howard responded with a late four-point run, highlighted by two kills from Daryn Watkins and a Buckner service ace, cutting the deficit to 22-19. The Hornets answered with two points to reach match point, and after Howard made it 24-20, Delaware State closed out the set, 25-20.
Buckner led Howard with 13 kills, nine digs, and two service aces.
Camryn Shelton (Charlotte, N.C.) recorded 21 digs and added 11 assists, while
Alexys James (Houston, Texas) contributed 17 assists, 16 digs, and four kills. Jones finished with 13 assists and 10 digs, while Jethroe added eight kills. Pagan recorded five kills, while Howard chipped in six.
As a team, Howard recorded 45 kills, 42 assists, and 72 digs. The Bison also notched three service aces in the conference matchup.
Howard volleyball returns home to host UMES on Sunday, Nov. 1, at 1 p.m.
For more information on Howard volleyball, visit the official Howard Athletics website
www.hubison.com.
