Volleyball | 8/20/2025 9:40:00 AM
NORFOLK, Va., August 20, 2025 - Howard University senior outside hitter Rya McKinnon has been named the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Volleyball Preseason Player of the Year for the third consecutive season, while the Bison were voted the preseason favorites to capture the 2025 conference title.
Selections were made by the conference’s head coaches and sports information directors.
McKinnon, a three-time reigning MEAC Player of the Year, led the league in 2024 with 4.84 points per set and 400 total kills (4.40 per set). In conference play, she paced the MEAC with 4.76 points and 4.52 kills per set, tallying four 20-kill matches and nine double-doubles, the fourth-most in the league. She earned five MEAC Player of the Week honors while guiding Howard to a perfect 14-0 conference record.
In the predicted order of finish, Howard topped the poll with 116 points and eight first-place votes. Defending MEAC champion Delaware State was picked second with 114 points and seven first-place votes, followed by Coppin State in third with 98 points. Norfolk State ranked fourth with 73 points and earned the final first-place vote, while Maryland Eastern Shore was picked fifth with 69 points. Rounding out the poll were Morgan State (6th), North Carolina Central (7th) and South Carolina State (8th).
Joining McKinnon on the Preseason All-MEAC Team are her Howard teammates Leah Reeves and Claire Simpson, along with Coco Figueroa and Ta’Kenya Stafford of Coppin State, Gabrielle Gilbert of Norfolk State, and Gerren Tomlin of Delaware State.
The 2025 MEAC volleyball season begins Aug. 29, with all eight programs in action throughout non-conference play. The 2025 MEAC Volleyball Championship is set for Nov. 20-22 at Coppin State University’s Physical Education Complex, where all eight teams will compete for the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship.
PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH
|
Rank
|
School (1st-place votes)
|
Points
|
|
1
|
Howard (8)
|
116
|
|
2
|
Delaware State (7)
|
114
|
|
3
|
Coppin State
|
98
|
|
4
|
Norfolk State (1)
|
73
|
|
5
|
Maryland Eastern Shore
|
69
|
|
6
|
Morgan State
|
50
|
|
7
|
North Carolina Central
|
33
|
|
8
|
South Carolina State
|
23
|
PRESEASON ALL-MEAC TEAM
Preseason Player of the Year – Rya McKinnon, Howard
|
Name
|
Class
|
Pos.
|
School
|
Hometown
|
|
Coco Figueroa
|
Jr.
|
L
|
Coppin State
|
Bayamon, Puerto Rico
|
|
Gabrielle Gilbert
|
Jr.
|
OH
|
Norfolk State
|
Indianapolis, Ind.
|
|
Rya McKinnon
|
Sr.
|
OH
|
Howard
|
Hoover, Ala.
|
|
Leah Reeves
|
Sr.
|
S
|
Howard
|
Allen, Texas
|
|
Claire Simpson
|
Sr.
|
L
|
Howard
|
Plainfield, Ill.
|
|
TaKenya Stafford
|
Sr.
|
OH
|
Coppin State
|
Los Angeles, Calif.
|
|
Gerren Tomlin
|
Sr.
|
OH
|
Delaware State
|
Statesville, N.C.
|