Lady Bison Extends Streak to Three
By Jasmine King, Volleyball, Public Relations '13
WASHINGTON, DC -- The Burr was packed Sunday as the Lady Bison went head to head with the Morgan State Bears for its third straight win in five MEAC matchups.
"We played very well tonight and we finally finished in five. I thought we had a great serving game tonight. Freshman Meagan Lagerlef has been working very hard," says head coach Dawn Barnes. Lagerlef finished with a career-best six service aces.
Both teams came out strong, but the Howard out lasted the Bears, beating them in five sets to win the match. The first set was tough for the Lady Bison. With a combination of missed serves and a few first home game jitters, the Bears took the first set, 25-22.
Unshaken, HU answered and won the second and third sets 25-19 and 26-24. As the fourth set unraveled, both teams rallied point for point. After coming back from behind, the Lady Bison began to chip away while staying poised. The fourth set was the tea tipper for Howard, losing the set 29-31. Although they were edged by the Bears, the Lady Bison kept their momentum heading into the final set.
From the first serve, Howard zeroed in for the win. Senior Tosin Elebute was the hot hitter for the team, taking over 50 swings, finishing with 28 kills and 15 digs for a double double ending the match. "Tosin had a solid game; leadership definitely showed," stated Barnes.
After having the Bears down 8-4, the teams switched sides of the net. The ball was rallied a few times before it hit the floor. The Bears were only able to side out four more times, finishing the match with a 15-7 loss.
Senior middle blocker, Gabrielle Martin and freshman, Stephanie Shultis both put down eight balls for HU. Junior, Jasmine King dished out a season-high 30 assists, followed by Shultis with 19.
The Lady Bison out swung the Bears, but the Bears finished with seven more digs, 53-46. Defensive specialist Jasmine Tipton dug 14 balls in the match for Howard. "Tipton played exceptionally well and setter Jasmine King did a great job of running the offense today."
For the Bears, Kierra Outlin finished with 13 kills and nine digs just shy of a double double followed by Erin Cox with ten. Setter Natallie Chafen put up 32 assists and eight kills and nine digs.
The Lady Bison continue to work hard for another consecutive win. They travel across town to take on American University Wed. Oct 9 beginning at 7 p.m.