DURHAM, NC --The North Carolina Central University volleyball team (3-10, 1-1 MEAC) fell to the Howard Lady Bison in straight sets (17-25, 15-25, 22-25) Sunday afternoon at McDougald-McLendon Arena.

Leading the Eagles' offense was Kamren Harper who finished with 10 kills on the day, followed by Kayden Cupid with seven. Emmie Modlin led defensively with eight digs. NC Central attackers were helped by a team-high 20 assists from Bella Dearinger.

Before the match, Dearinger was honored for surpassing 1,000 assists this season while on the road in non-conference play.

The Bison were led by the conference leader in kills, Rya McKinnon who had 18. Cimone Woodard and Dami Awojobi also had 10 kills each. This was HU's first conference match as Friday's MEAC opener against South Carolina State University was postponed to Monday due to the weather.

How It Happened

SET 1 | The Eagles found themselves in an early hole, losing a tough first set 25-17. North Carolina Central trailed by as many as 10 points as Howard grabbed the advantage early on and took control.

SET 2 | A 25-15 set-two loss put NCCU in a 2-0 hole in the match. The Eagles trailed by as many as 11 points as Howard grabbed the advantage for good at 7-6 in a set that was tied up seven times before the Lady Bison took over the lead.

SET 3 | NC Central was not able to win set three and was swept by Howard. The Eagles fell in a back-and-forth battle, losing 25-22 in a set that featured two lead changes and was tied nine times. Neither team had a lead of more than four points along the way.

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