LADY BISON CAPTURE FIRST CONFERENCE GAME
NORFOLK, Virginia – The Howard University Lady Bison (2-17, 1-2 MEAC) defeated fourth-place, Norfolk State (5-10, 1-2 MEAC) in five sets on Sunday night.
"This was a great win for us," said head coach Dawn Barnes. "It was a group effort and well deserved. Norfolk State did a great job offensively and defensively and did not make this easy at all. You had two teams that really played hard."
Howard started the game with a 25-21 victory in set one. Sets two and three were tough for the Lady Bison coming up short 21-25 and 24-26. The Spartans put up a tough crowd and technique, but the Lady Bison put up some solid points that gained momentum. Assistant Coach Russ held down the strategy for the Lady Bison. "We watched film and studied these girls, technically we were ready, all we had to do was go out there and shut them down," says Russ.
The Lady Bison highlighted on the Spartans' weaknesses and it showed in the match taking sets four and five 26-24 and 15-12 to win the match. Freshman Stephanie Shultis had a major solo block to win the fourth set making it harder for the Spartans to capture the Lady Bison.
Set five was rolling for Howard as they kept the ball away from the Spartans the first six points. The Spartans showed signs of aggression as they tried to make a come back, but HU held on strong to their lead finishing the match with a win. Spartan fans left empty handed as the Lady Bison cheered and showed school spirit.
Outside hitter Tosin Elebute finished with a game high of 25 kills and 16 digs charting a double-double. Freshman, middle blocker Assata Conway put down seven balls for the Lady Bison. Heather Long had a game high of five kills hitting a perfect game. Both setters, Jasmine King and Stephanie Shultis had 21 assists a piece. Riana Cain picked up 20 balls.
Defensively, both teams had 66 digs, but the Spartans out blocked the Lady bison 13 to 9. On the other hand, the Lady Bison finished with better hitting percentages after each set than the Spartans. "I knew [Norfolk State] were all waiting to block me, but I wasn't having it," says Elebute, "I was going to play my game for my team because I realize I play a major role."
For NSU, Charlotte Armstead put down 17 balls. Adriana Ramos had 11 kills and 14 digs finishing with a double-double. Beatriz Ferreira had 12 kills followed by Jasmine Frazier with ten kills. Setter Kristen Burt finished with 44 assists.
The Lady Bison split the weekend and will look to carry the momentum as they head to face Coppin State on Fri. Oct. 14.
By Jasmine King, Volleyball, Public Relations 2013
VISIT: HOWARDBISON
VISIT: HOWARD UNIVERSITY
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