Wichita State Earns a 2-0 Start to the Season

MATCH RESULTS

• RV Wichita State def. Howard 3-1, (25-20, 21-25, 25-22, 25-20)
• Wichita State improves to 2-0, Howard falls to 2-1
• Washington D.C.
• Attendance: 168
• Match Stats
• Wichita State Recap / Howard Recap

WASHINGTON D.C. —

The Wichita State Shockers pulled off the victory in four sets over the Howard Bison in a non-conference match-up on Sunday afternoon in Burr Gymnasium. Wichita State remains undefeated after beating JMU earlier in the season, followed by downing Howard.

The Shockers took charge in the beginning, taking the first set, but let up in the second set to lose 25-21. Wichita State was down four points in the third before coming back to take the set 25-22. They jumped out in set four, taking an 8-3 lead, but Howard caught up at 14. The Shockers would go on to win the set 25-20. Wichita State hit .270 in the match while holding their opponents to .227.

The Shockers led in every statistical category in the match except blocks (6-2) and aces (2-0) – kills (56-50), assists (54-47), and digs (47-40).

Tabitha Brown led the Shockers to the win with 16 kills on 42 swings with seven errors for a .214 hitting clip, while Alex Koon added in another 10 kills on 24 swings with four errors to end the night with a .250 hitting performance. Abby Pugh made her presence known with eight kills and zero errors for a .615 clip along with two blocks while Emma Wright took the court with seven kills.

Kali Eaken produced 31 assists while Giorgia Civita picked up a match-high 27 digs.

For the Bison, Courtney Dalton put away 14 kills on a .308 clip andJurnee Tipton added 12 more while Tamia Dockery picked up a double-double with 38 assists and 11 digs.

The Shockers will remain on the road for their next match on August 26 at VCU at 4 P.M. CT.

RECAPS

Courtesy of Wichita State Athletics

Wichita State improved to 2-0 on the year with a 3-1 win at Howard. The Shockers won by scores of 25-20, 21-25, 25-22 and 25-20.

Tabitha Brown led the Shockers with 16 kills, while Alex Koon added 10. Kali Eakenhad 31 assists, while Giorgia Civita had 27 digs.

SET 1:
• The Shockers hit .433 on the way to a 25-20 win
• Tabitha Brown led the way with five kills, while Chase Jackson had four
• Giorgia Civita had eight digs in the set
• Two-straight Jackson kills gave WSU the 9-7 lead
• Kills from Jackson and Brown pushed the lead to 18-13
• Two kills from Abby Pugh brought the Shockers to set point at 24-17 and an Alex Koonkill gave WSU the 25-20 win

SET 2:
• Howard evened the match with a 25-21 win in the second set
• The Shockers only lead of the set was at 4-3
• Howard led by as many as seven with the latest being at 23-16
• The Shockers used a 4-0 run to cut it to 23-20, but the Bison went on to win the set 25-21

SET 3:
•The Shockers came back from four down to take the third set 25-22
• A Wright kill put WSU up 7-3, but the Bison came back to tie it at nine
• Howard took a 15-11 lead, but back-to-back kills from Brown cut the lead to 15-13
• Koon’s kill tied the set at 20 and a Bison hitting error brought the Shockers to set point at 24-21
• Brown’s kill gave WSU the 25-22 win

SET 4:
• WSU won the match with a 25-20 win in the fourth set
• The Shockers raced out to an 8-3 lead after a Koon kill
• A Howard error gave the Shockers a 14-8 lead, but the Bison answered with a 6-0 run to tie it at 14
• Koon’s kill gave WSU the 21-16 advantage, but Howard used three-straight kills to pull within 23-20
• Wright’s kill brought the Shockers to match point at 24-20 and a block by Pugh and Brown gave WSU the 25-20 win

The Shockers are next in action on Mon., Aug. 26 at VCU at 4 p.m. CT.

Courtesy of Howard Athletics

Howard women’s volleyball went down fighting in today’s 3-1 loss to Wichita State.  After the Bison dropped the first set, they bounced back in the second with a 25-21 win. The Bison, however, could not keep a lead in the following sets.

“We competed well against a very talented Wichita State team,” said head coach Shaun Kupferberg, “Our serve receive was great and was tested by Wichita’s aggressive serving. We need to improve on our serving. It is not quite where we want to be.”

Howard took control of the game in set three.  After tying the game 9-9, they gained the lead and stayed ahead until the 20th point. The Shockers climbed from behind to tie the match, 20-20, before eventually pulling off from the Bison and taking the set, 25-22.

In the fourth set the Bison could not find their stride. The Shockers led the entire set despite the Bison’s middle set 6-0 run to tie at 14. The Shockers would widen the lead before the Bison came within three, 20-23, to toughen the competition. The Shockers went on to claim the set, 25-20, improving their record to 2-0. The Bison are now 2-1.

“It is early in the season. There is only room to improve,” Kupferberg stated.

Courtney Dalton led the team with 14 kills and 3 blocks.  Jurnee Tipton tallied 12 kills, 8 digs and 2 blocks. Olubunmi Okunade posted 8 kills and 4 blocks. Marcelle Butler had 6 kills and 1 service ace. Setter Tamia Dockery recorded 38 assists and 11 digs. Fola Wilson had 5 assists and 12 digs. Jurnee Farrellhad 2 assists and 4 digs.  Kira Porter had an assist and a service ace.

The Bison look to bounce back tomorrow as they take on the Stanford Cardinal for the first time, playing at home in Burr Gym. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. General admission tickets are $8. There is no cost to Howard students with valid HU identification. Live stats of the game can be viewed by visiting https://hubison.com/sidearmstats/wvball/summary.

Follow the Bison
For complete coverage of Howard University women’s volleyball, follow the Bison on social media at @HUBisonVB (Twitter), @HowardVolleyball (Facebook) and @HowardVolleyball (Instagram) or visit the official home of Howard University Athletics at HUBison.com.