A sea of pink filled John H. Burr Gymnasium as Howard University Volleyball improved its conference record to 5-2 with a win over Norfolk State University (NSU) during their Breast Cancer Awareness game on Friday.
The Bison charged past the Spartans in a 3-0 victory, dominating in just about every statistical category. Howard has not lost to NSU since they began competing against each other nearly 12 years ago, sweeping them 17 out of the 23 games played.
However, with six players out, including Zenai Johnson, who ranks second on the team in kills, and Aziah Buckner, who won the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) defensive player of the week on Oct. 14, past records were the least of Head Coach Shaun Kupferberg’s concerns.
“I didn’t even know that [we were undefeated],” Kupferberg said. “We don’t pay attention to that type of stuff. We’re paying attention to this year’s team and what this year’s [team is] doing. We had a lot of freshmen playing, a lot of younger players playing, just because of some injuries and sicknesses and things. So I was just happy we were able to blow out the win.”
Freshman middle blocker Kristen Dear was one of the young players who stepped up, opening the game with the first of the two back-to-back kills from Howard.
NSU trailed closely with two back-to-back points to make the score 2-2. The teams exchanged points before Howard heated up, scoring four straight points, pushing the margin to 8-3.
The teams went on to trade points for the next six rallies, with the Spartans cutting the lead to 12-10.
Senior setter Leah Reeves added two back-to-back aces to the next four-point run, giving the Bison a 16-10 cushion. NSU crept back at 23-20, but was unable to stop the next two kills from Howard, resulting in them winning the set 25-20.
Reeves recently won MEAC Setter of the Week and said she’s focusing on winning games.
“Last year, I got setter of the week a lot, and we still lost,” said Reeves, a business management major. “So I’m really focused on these conference games, getting us in a good spot for the MEAC tournament and then that championship game. So Setter of the Week is nice, but I really want that ring at the end.”
The second set began with an early point by NSU, but Howard quickly gained the lead with a five-point run to make the score 5-1. The Bison stopped the Spartans’ attempt to come back by going on another run to widen the gap to 12-5.
With the Bison keeping their hooves grounded, NSU was unable to score more than twice consecutively, giving Howard the 17-8 lead. At game point, Norfolk fought to extend the set, holding off set point for two rallies, but a service error handed Howard the 25-16 win.
Norfolk came out strong in the third set, 5-4, staying closely behind the Bison. After scoring three points consecutively in three rallies and going on a four-point run, the Bison gained an 18-7 lead. Then, a service error by Howard sparked an NSU six-point run, narrowing it to 18-13.
An assist by Reeves broke the streak; still, the Spartans stayed in the fight with the score becoming 22-20. In the final stretch, the game ended with the same person it started with, Kristen Dear, who delivered the final kill to seal the 25-21 win. Dear, who earned a career high of 11 kills, shared what this win felt like.
“It’s like a testament of the work we’ve been putting in, throughout the season and overcoming our hardships earlier in the season,” said Dear, a business major. “So it feels good.”
Along with Dear, freshman setter Alexys James also made an impact in this game, recording seven kills.
“I just trusted my training and my teammates really helped me build my confidence throughout this season,” said James, a biology major. “So honestly, stepping up wasn’t too hard because I know they had my back throughout the whole game. I was feeling really confident about everything.”
The Bison will next travel to Baltimore on Oct. 23 to face Coppin State University.
Copy edited by Daryl R. Thomas Jr.
