WASHINGTON, DC – The University of Maryland Eastern Shore volleyball was unable to overcome Howard University on Sunday, October 23 at Burr Gymnasium, falling in four sets by scores of 15-25, 25-19, 17-25 and 23-25.
 
"Definitely some good things came out of this match, it was definitely a performance we can build on," head coach Trevor Callarman said.
 
It was another slow start for the Hawks (5-15, 3-6 MEAC) in the first set, finding themselves down by as much as seven before being able to cut the lead to just four at 12-16. Even with the fight back, the Bison (14-7, 7-1 MEAC) went on a six-point run and were eventually able to close it out with a block at the net for the 25^th point.
 
In the second set there was fire in the Hawks play, allowing Howard to take a quick lead to start but turned things around with the offense flowing through Alexis Lee, Sydney Morris and Nkemjika Ikemefuna all hitting over .500 for a combined 14 kills. Morris was clutch early on, with three kills in the Hawks first five points and Lee played some of her best volleyball hitting at a .714 rate. The 20 kills in the set were a season high for the Hawks.
 
"Sydney was great, she played strong, we moved her to the outside and she tore it up," Callarman said. "It's good to see against one of the better defensive teams in the conference that we can still have the offense we had today."
 
The Hawks were great defensively in the second set as well, with Lee, Charlize Williams and Derionah Abner each getting at least one assisted block. Valeria Matias had five digs in the set after switching over to libero from defensive specialist.
 
Inconsistent hitting hurt the Hawks in the third set, with the team grabbing just seven kills to six errors and Ikemefuna being the only player to notch more than a single kill. Howard stretched out to a 12-5 lead before allowing Maryland Eastern Shore back-to-back points, both of which were attack errors.
 
Needing to take the fourth set, the Hawks gave Howard all they could handle in a thrilling series that saw both teams make solid scoring runs and great plays at the net – each squad picked up a combined three team blocks. The Bison were able to get out to 3-0 following three straight attacking errors by the Hawks and were able to get a 14-7 lead following a five-point run.
 
The Hawks allowed Howard to get to match point until Maryland Eastern Shore was able to grab three straight points to make it 24-23 in favor of the Bison. While the momentum was with the Hawks, it wouldn't be enough as Howard was able to get a kill from Cimone Woodard to send the Hawks home with a loss.
 
"We had some really good fight and almost came back to take the fourth set," Callarman said.
 
Morris led all Hawks with 10 kills in the match at a .444 hitting percentage, all off the bench, and was followed by Lee's eight at a .583 hitting percentage. Ikemefuna and Abner each added seven kills each. Sophia Chacon and Romina Vacca combined for 31 of the Hawks 38 assists.
 
Defensively, Matias had 16 digs and while the Hawks had no solo blocks, seven different student-athletes were in on at least one block assist.
 
The Hawks are back in action on Friday, October 28 as South Carolina State University visits the Hytche for MEAC play.
 
Follow the action on Twitter via @ESHawksVBall.