PRINCESS ANNE, Md. (October 4, 2026) — Howard University volleyball (4-11, 3-1 MEAC) defeated Maryland Eastern Shore (2-13, 1-3 MEAC), 3-2, Sunday afternoon at the Hytche Center.
With the victory, the Bison extended their winning streak to three matches.
HU opened the match with authority, building an early advantage in the first set. The Bison used strong serving and timely kills to establish an 8-1 lead before continuing to control the frame. Howard stretched its advantage, 14-3, and after UMES (Maryland Eastern Shore) made a push, HU maintained enough separation to close the set, 25-14.
Addison Buckner (Menomonee Falls, Wis.) and
Zenai Jethroe (Dallas) provided key offensive plays while Howard's serving helped keep the Hawks out of rhythm.
Howard took an early 3-2 lead in the second frame before UMES moved in front, 5-3. The Bison continued to battle, evening the score, 10-10, behind a pair of service aces from
Estrella Vazquez (Baton Rouge, La.) and kills from
Dayion Johnson (Jasper, Ala.) and
Easnadh Nobel To'olo (Orono, Maine). The teams remained within a point of each other through the middle portion of the set, trading points until the board reached 16-16.
Howard gained some separation late, moving ahead, 20-16, after a Vazquez ace, a block involving Johnson and
Kaitlynn Robinson (Oklahoma City) and a kill from
Lauryn Wiley (Pearland, Texas). UMES responded, cutting the margin to one, 23-22, but HU held its composure. After the Hawks reached 23 points,
Alexys James (Houston) delivered a kill to put the Bison at set point and Jethroe finished the frame with a kill as Howard prevailed, 25-23.
UMES answered in the third set, jumping out to a 3-0 lead. Howard battled back to even the score, 5-5, but the Hawks regained control and moved ahead, 9-5. The Bison responded with a 5-0 run, using kills from Buckner, James and
Sydnei Jones (Bridgeville, Pa.), along with a service ace from
Camryn Shelton (Charlotte, N.C.) to take an 11-10 lead.
Howard extended its advantage, 14-11, before UMES mounted another response. The Hawks used a 4-0 stretch to move back in front, 15-14, setting up another back-and-forth sequence. The teams traded points to reach 16-16, but Maryland Eastern Shore created separation late. The Hawks closed the set on a 9-3 run to take the third frame, 25-19.
The fourth set again featured an early battle with Maryland Eastern Shore holding a 6-4 advantage before extending its lead, 12-6. Howard cut the deficit, 12-7, but UMES answered with a 6-0 run to take an 18-7 lead.
The Bison refused to go quietly. HU responded with a 6-1 run, trimming the deficit, 19-13. A Shelton ace, a Buckner kill and a block involving Jethroe helped fuel the comeback. Howard continued to fight and eventually reached 19 points, but UMES closed the set, 25-19, forcing a decisive fifth frame.
The Bison opened the fifth with a 7-0 run, getting two kills from Buckner, along with kills from James and a pair of UMES attack errors. After the Hawks finally got on the board, James added a service ace and Buckner delivered another kill as Howard pushed its advantage, 10-1.
UMES trimmed the margin, 10-5, but HU quickly answered. Jethroe contributed a key kill while the Bison's defensive pressure helped create another point before Howard reached 13-5. Vazquez then put the finishing touch on the match with an attack error forced by the Bison's pressure as HU completed the comeback, 15-5, to secure the 3-2 victory.
Buckner led all players with 19 kills and added 14 digs for her second career double-double. Jethroe contributed 11 kills and a team-high five blocks while James recorded eight kills, 22 assists and three service aces.
Vazquez provided a major spark from the service line, recording a career-high and match-high five service aces. Shelton added three aces and finished with a team-high 20 digs. Jones tallied 20 assists while
Gabby Allen (Laurel, Md.) contributed 13 digs.
As a team, Howard finished with 57 kills, 12 service aces, nine blocks, 51 assists and 78 digs. The Bison also hit .211 for the match compared to .127 for UMES.
The Bison return home Friday, Oct. 9, hosting North Carolina Central at 6 p.m., for their Breast Cancer Awareness game.
For more information on Howard women's volleyball visit the official Howard Athletics website
www.hubison.com.
