Volleyball | 11/21/2025 11:35:21 PM

BALTIMORE, Md. — No. 2 Howard powered its way back to the MEAC Volleyball Championship match, outlasting No. 6 Maryland Eastern Shore in a five-set battle on Friday at the Physical Education Complex, 3-2 (25-15, 25-21, 23-25, 18-25, 15-8). 

Kristen Dear led the Bison with a dominant all-around performance, finishing with a match-high 23 kills on .360 hitting while adding 21 assists and two blocks. Rya McKinnon added 15 kills, and Aziah Buckner delivered a steady two-way effort with eight kills, two aces, and 11 digs. Setter Leah Reeves fueled the offense with 34 assists and 12 digs, posting a double-double in the win. 

Howard controlled the opening sets, hitting .400 in Set 1 and .294 in Set 2, before the Hawks surged back to take Sets 3 and 4 behind late defensive pressure and timely swings from Malaysia Shaw and Karielys Melendez. In the tiebreak, Howard jumped out to a 5–0 lead behind Gabby Allen’s serving run and McKinnon’s early kills, hitting .333 in the final frame and limiting the Hawks to just .045 to secure the victory. 

UMES was led by Malaysia Shaw’s 19 kills, while Jayda Hutchins added 12 kills and five digs. Karielys Melendez posted a strong all-around line with 16 kills, 13 digs, and three blocks. 

With the win, Howard (18-10, 10-4 MEAC) advances to Saturday’s MEAC Championship match, where it will face top-seeded Coppin State on ESPN+ at 5 p.m.