Washington, D.C. (Sep. 27, 2015) – Delaware State won the third set to stay alive in its MEAC opener against Howard, but the comeback fell short for a 3-1 loss to the Bison this afternoon.
Howard won the first two sets 25-20 and 25-5 before the Hornets rebounded to win set three 26-24. The Bison took the fourth set 25-22 to claim the match.
Senior Jasmine Jackson led DSU with 11 kills and 14 digs to record her fourth straight double-double and eighth of the season.
Jae Jackson (jr.) and Nevershi Ellis (so.) added seven kills each, while Taylor Marshall (jr.) and Ayanna Lee each contributed nine digs for the Hornets.
Howard's Khaila Donaldson led all players with 20 kills. Morgan Marlbrough had a match-high 23 digs for the Bison.
There were eight ties in the first set before Howard opened up a 14-10 lead. Delaware State answered by scoring eight of the next 12 points, and evened the set at 18-18 on a Bison error. Howard scored the last five points after the score was tied at 20.
The Hornets trailed 2-0 in the match after dropping the second set.
In the third game, Delaware State trailed 14-8 and 17-12 before storming back. The Hornets rallied to score 10 of the next 15 points to tie the set at 22. Ellis had three kills during the DSU rally.
The score was 24-24 in the third set when a Howard attack error and a kill by Ellis sealed the win to keep the Hornets alive in the match.
Delaware State trailed 12-10 in the fourth set before rallying to take the lead. Amanda McAfee (fr.) capped off a 6-2 run with a kill to give DSU a 17-14 lead.
The Hornets opened up their biggest lead, 20-15, on a kill by Jasmine Jackson off a feed from Marisol Arredondo (fr.).
Howard (5-12; 2-0 MEAC) scored the next five points to tie the set at 20. The score was 21-21 before the Bison scored four of the last five points to claim the set and match.
Delaware State posted a .081 hitting percentage, recording 32 kills and 21 errors on 135 attempts.
The Hornets totaled eight blocks in the contest, their fourth-best output of the season. Janessa Helu (jr.) led the way with two solo blocks and four assists.
Delaware State (2-13; 0-1 MEAC) will be idle for the next 12 days before returning to action on Oct. 9 against MEAC rival Coppin State in the Hornets' home opener. The Dig Pink Breast Cancer Awareness match begins at 6 p.m. in Memorial Hall.
