TOWSON, Md. (September 11, 2026) – Howard University volleyball (1-6) battled back from a 2-1 match deficit to earn its first victory of the 2026 season, defeating Robert Morris (RMU) in a five-set thriller (25-23, 18-25, 19-25, 25-23, 15-13) Friday afternoon at SECU Arena during the Tiger Invitational, hosted by Towson.
HU opened the match with a 25-23 victory in the first set. The Bison established an early advantage before Robert Morris battled back. Howard maintained its composure down the stretch with the Colonials cutting the deficit to one, 24-23. Newcomer
Dayion Johnson (Jasper, Ala.) delivered a kill off an
Alexys James (Houston) assist to give the Bison the opening-set victory.
RMU answered in the second frame, jumping out to a 4-1 lead and extending the advantage, 13-6. Howard continued to chip away with James recording a service ace and
Zenai Jethroe (Dallas) adding a kill as the Bison pulled within five, 16-11. HU later cut the deficit to two, 19-17, but the Colonials closed the set with a 6-1 run to take the second frame, 25-18, and even the match, 1-1.
The Colonials carried the momentum into the third set, building an early 4-2 advantage before HU responded with four straight points to take a 6-4 lead. Robert Morris answered to tie the frame, 6-6, before the teams traded runs throughout the middle portion of the set. Howard rallied from a 14-11 deficit to eventually take a 16-15 lead and the teams continued to battle before reaching a 19-19 tie. RMU went on a six-point run to claim a 25-19 victory and take a 2-1 match lead.
Facing a loss in the fourth set, HU fell behind, 12-8, before cutting the deficit to one, 12-11. Robert Morris responded with another run, extending its lead, 17-12. Fighting back, the Bison went on a five-point charge to erase the deficit and tie the set, 17-17. The teams continued to exchange points with the Colonials eventually taking a 22-19 advantage. Howard answered by scoring the next five-of-six points to take a 24-22 lead. RMU cut the margin to one, 24-23, but Johnson once again came through with the final kill, off another assist from James, as Howard secured the 25-23 victory and forced a fifth set.
Robert Morris opened the deciding frame with a 3-0 lead behind two early service aces. Howard, immediately, responded with four consecutive points to take a 4-3 advantage, highlighted by kills from James, Jethroe and
Addison Buckner (Menomonee Falls, Wis.). The Colonials regained the lead and built a 7-4 advantage before extending it, 11-7. Howard continued to battle, cutting the deficit to one, 12-11. RMU moved ahead, 13-11, putting the Bison one point away from defeat. A Colonial attack error and a block by
Haarachi Umenwaliri (Chapel Hill, N.C.) and
Reese Watkins (Atlanta) pulled the Bison even, 13-13. Jethroe, then, delivered her 16
th kill of the afternoon off a Buckner assist to put Howard ahead, 14-13. Another Robert Morris attack error ended the set, giving the Bison a 15-13 victory and completing the 3-2 comeback.
Jethroe led the Bison with 16 kills while hitting .500 and added a team-high six blocks. Watkins and Johnson each finished with 11 kills with the Atlanta native contributing five blocks. Umenwaliri also recorded six blocks.
James directed the Howard offense with 30 assists while adding 16 digs and three service aces.
Camryn Shelton (Charlotte, N.C.) paced the defensive effort with 21 digs while Buckner added 16 digs.
Kennedi Wright (Plano, Texas) contributed a service ace and two digs while
Estrella Vazquez (Baton Rouge, La.) added a service ace.
Howard continues play at the Tiger Invitational Saturday, Sept. 12, facing Arkansas at noon at SECU Arena.
For more information on Howard volleyball visit the official Howard Athletics website
www.hubison.com.
