Volleyball | 11/20/2025 7:47:37 PM

BALTIMORE, Md. – No. 2 seed Howard advanced to the MEAC Volleyball Tournament semifinals with a 3-0 win (25-15, 25-15, 25-20) over No. 7 Norfolk State in Thursday's quarterfinal round. 

Senior Rya McKinnon powered the Lady Bison with a match-high 11 kills, while fellow senior Leah Reeves controlled the offense with 36 assists. On the defensive side, Norfolk State junior Gabrielle Gilbert led the Spartans with 10 kills, and senior Mya Wood tallied a match-high 20 digs. 

The win sets up Howard for a semifinal matchup against either No. 6 UMES or No. 3 Morgan State on Friday at 8 p.m. 

Coming off a recent meeting between the two teams, McKinnon said the Bison were intent on setting the tone early. 

"We wanted to make a statement in that first set," McKinnon said. "That's what we did—really tried not to give them hope and just make a statement." 

Head coach Shaun Kupferberg praised his team's defensive execution. 

"Our defense locked into what Norfolk was trying to do tonight," Kupferberg said. "We didn't give them any breathing room, and that was really the key to us winning." 

Norfolk State's season comes to a close at 5-24, though the Spartans showed late-season improvement with wins in three of their final four regular-season matches.