FAMU, Howard earn top seeds in MEAC volleyball tournament

The Howard Bison and the Florida A&M Lady Rattlers earned the top seeds in the northern and southern divisions, respectively, of the 2016 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Volleyball Championship Tournament.

Florida A&M (10-0) won the regular-season Southern Divisional crown and earned the top spot. The Lady Rattlers are currently riding a 12-match winning streak and have not lost since Sept. 20 (North Florida).

Bethune-Cookman (7-3) is the second seed in the Southern Division and won the potential tiebreaker over North Carolina A&T State. The Lady Wildcats secured the second spot based on fewest games lost in all conference matches. North Carolina A&T State (6-3) locked up the third seed, while North Carolina Central earned the fourth seed.

Howard captured the top seed in the North after posting a perfect 12-0 mark in conference play. The Bison, who rank first nationally in opponent hitting percentage, enter tournament play on a 13-match win streak and have not dropped a match since Sept. 17 (Rhode Island).

Maryland Eastern Shore (10-2), which is tops nationally in aces per set and team aces, advances to the tournament for the second consecutive season and is the second seed from the Northern Division. Morgan State (7-5) reaches the tournament for the third straight season as the No. 3 seed, while Norfolk State (5-7) won the head-to-head tiebreaker over Hampton to claim the fourth and final seed in the North.