On Friday, the Howard University women’s volleyball team faced the University of Maryland Terrapins in their season opener game at John H. Burr Gymnasium. The Bison lost all three sets to begin their season 0-1.
The Aug. 28 game also featured the jersey retirement for former Howard volleyball player Tamia Dockery, who is now an assistant coach for the team. During her Howard tenure from 2015-2018, she won four consecutive Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) titles and various other MEAC honors.
Sophomore setter Alexys James led the Bison this game, recording a double-double with 11 kills and 16 assists.
“The energy in here was exactly what I expected,” said James, a biology major from Houston, Texas. “I was itching to come back. It gave me so much adrenaline and excitement to help me perform really well.”
Newcomers, freshman outside hitter Addison Buckner and transfer middle blocker Tiana Stubbs rounded off the top three Bison scorers with seven kills each.
Senior outside hitter Kennedi Wright, who finished with four kills and four digs, said the atmosphere in Burr bolstered the team’s performance.
“Honestly, this is one of our best crowds,” said Wright, a human performance major from Dallas, Texas. “Last year, we would have people come, but they wouldn’t be as energetic…the energy coming in was very high, and it helped us on the court for sure.”
During the first set, UMD and Howard traded points and kept the score close for the majority. The score was tied three times late in the set before UMD scored the final points, making the score 22-25.
The second set was Howard’s lowest scoring set, allowing UMD their greatest separation of the game. Ending the second set 14-25, the Bison trailed 0-2, hoping to keep the game alive in the next set.
The Bison came out swinging in the final set, creating their largest separation since the first set at 10-7. The teams traded points; however, a late scoring run from UMD gave the Terrapins the momentum to win the set 22-25, sweeping the game.
“No matter the score, I can feel the team starting to come together,” said senior middle blocker Zenai Jethroe. “This is definitely going to be a growing season, but I can see where we’re gonna end eventually, and it’s going to be high.”
Jethroe, a health science major from Dallas, Texas, finished with four blocks and six kills.
Though the game resulted in a loss, James notices how much the team has improved and has high expectations for the season.
“My biggest expectation for the team is just to grow together and learn together,” said James. “The more we grow as a team and in our specific jobs, it’s going to help us hopefully win the championship at the end of the season.”
Copy edited by Daryl R. Thomas Jr.