WASHINGTON, D.C., Nov. 21, 2021 – With a 3-1 (20-25, 25-21, 25-20, 25-20) win over Delaware State in the championship match of the 2021 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Volleyball Championship Sunday evening at Burr Gymnasium, Howard is once again champion.
The Bison (17-12) won their sixth title in seven years and their 13th overall – tying Florida A&M for the most volleyball titles in MEAC history. Howard also receives the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Volleyball Championship.
The NCAA Volleyball Championship Selection show will be live on ESPNU on Sunday, Nov. 28 at 8:30 p.m.
Cimone Woodard, the tournament’s Outstanding Performer, accounted for 14.5 points. She had 10 kills (hitting .444), eight digs and three blocks. Bria Woodard also had 10 kills to go along with 11 digs and a pair of service aces.
Kailyn Williams had nine kills, while Tamar Wells had eight to go along with six block assists.
In a match-up between the MEAC regular-season co-champions, Delaware State struck the first blow. With the score tied 7-all, the Hornets went on a 6-2 spurt to open up a 13-9 lead after Valeria Otero and Sydney Lewis paired on a block.
Delaware State held that advantage throughout the rest of the set to take the early 1-0 advantage.
The Hornets then went up 3-1 to open the second set, before Howard answered with a 7-1 run. Wells and Dami Awojobi paired on a block to give the Bison an 8-4 lead. Delaware State eventually cut the lead to 23-21, but Howard scored the last two points to tie the match.
The third set played out much like the second set and the Bison found themselves with the momentum – and a 2-1 match lead – heading into the fourth set. But the Hornets opened the fourth set on a 6-2 run, taking early control.
Howard answered, going on a 7-3 spurt to tie the set at 9-all. The Bison and Hornets then held a brief back-and-forth that led to five ties, before a Bria Woodard kill gave Howard a 15-14 lead. That kill kicked off a 7-2 run, giving Howard a 21-16 lead and control.
The Hornets cut the lead to 23-20, before a Cimone Woodard kill and a Delaware State attack error sealed the deal.
Alondra Maldonado and Valeria Otero each had 10 kills to lead the Hornets (26-4).
2021 MEAC Volleyball Championship All-Tournament Team
Paola Caten, Coppin State
Alondra Maldonado, Delaware State
Valeria Otero, Delaware State
Tamar Wells, Howard
Bria Woodard, Howard
Cimone Woodard, Howard
Ammaarah Williams, North Carolina Central
Outstanding Performer: Cimone Woodard, Howard
Outstanding Coach: Shaun Kupferberg, Howard
About the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) is in its 51st year of intercollegiate competition with the 2021-22 academic school year. Located in Norfolk, Va., the MEAC is made up of eight outstanding historically black institutions across the Atlantic coastline: Coppin State University, Delaware State University, Howard University, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Morgan State University, Norfolk State University, North Carolina Central University and South Carolina State University.
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