Howard Volleyball Rallies to Win Fifth Straight MEAC Title

WASHINGTON, Nov. 25, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Howard University women's volleyball team erased a 2-1 match deficit to win their fifth consecutive Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Title after taking down rival Morgan State (MSU) in a five set classic (24-26, 37-35, 17-25, 25-23, 15-12) at Burr Gymnasium on Sunday.

"The entire Howard University community is extremely proud of the strength and focus our volleyball team has demonstrated to bring home a fifth straight MEAC Championship," said President Wayne A. I. Frederick. "Congratulations to Coach Kupferberg, the assistant coaches and the student athletes for an electrifying season. We look forward to seeing them in NCAA D1 tournament play in the coming weeks."

With the win, HU won its 12^th MEAC crown overall while earning an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.

"I'm really proud of our team," Howard head coach Shaun Kupferberg, the tournament's Outstanding Coach, said. "This was the best-played match I've seen in a long time. For the most part, players were hitting high and aggressive and hard time after time… every time you had a free ball, there was something coming back hard at you."

Sophomore Kailyn Williams (Arlington, Texas) led the Bison comeback, producing 18 kills and four digs. For her efforts, she took home the tourney's most outstanding player.

Howard held a 24-22 advantage in the opening set, but the Lady Bears scored the final four points in the game to take a 1-0 match lead.

Set two became an instant classic where both squads went back-and-forth throughout. With the set tied at 35, a pair of MSU hitting errors gave HU the game and tied the match, 1-1.

"Kira [Porter] and I were trying to keep everybody focused and calm," said Howard team captain Jurnee Tipton, referring to the epic set two win. "It's really easy to get frantic and out of sequence in moments like that." 

After the five-minute intermission, Morgan State took control of the match and held a 2-1 match lead, but the Bison refused to go away. 

Howard grabbed the upper hand throughout set four and forced a deciding fifth set, 25-23. 

After MSU scored the first point in the fifth set, Howard got into a rhythm and took back control to win the MEAC Crown. 

Tipton, Williams and senior Kira Porter (Lake Tahoe, Nev.) were named to the 2019 MEAC All-Tournament squad. Tipton produced a double-double, 19 kills and 16 digs, while Porter added 15 kills and eight total blocks in Sunday's win. 

For Morgan Sate, Zoe McBride and Tylar Robertson combined for 45 kills in a losing effort. 

The 2019 NCAA DI women's volleyball championship bracket will be announced Sunday, Dec. 1 at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPNU. 

Media Contact: Alonda Thomas, [email protected]

SOURCE Howard University