WASHINGTON, D.C. – Bethune-Cookman begins an important swing through the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Northern Division Friday when the Wildcats meet the two-time defending champion Howard Bison Friday at 7 p.m. at Burr Gym.

After that, the Wildcats (8-9) will travel to Princess Anne, Md., to meet Maryland-Eastern Shore Sunday at noon. The Hawks (18-6) lead the Northern Division with a 5-0 league mark, same as Bethune-Cookman's record in the Southern Division.

Neither match counts in conference standings, but should provide a preview of the upcoming MEAC tournament November 17-19 hosted by Maryland-Eastern Shore.

Bethune-Cookman Head Coach Brittany Williams played her college ball at Howard from 2001-2004. She faced her alma mater in the 2015 MEAC championship game and again in the conference tournament semifinals last year. Overall, she's 0-4 against Howard, but 26-3 against the rest of the MEAC.

B-CU UPDATE: The Wildcats had a four-match winning streak snapped Tuesday night at Florida Gulf Coast: B-CU had season lows for both kills and hitting percentage … B-CU could be at .500 after 18 matches for the first time since 2004 if it beats Howard. A sweep would also match the 2004 team's 10-9 mark after 19 … The Wildcats lead the MEAC in assists, blocks and digs … Phalen Clark leads the MEAC in assists (10.22 per set) and has rose to fifth on the B-CU all-time list with 1,157 … Rakaya Neely is in a virtual tie with Md.-ES' Mere Sedley for the blocks leads and is a close second for the hitting percentage lead… Jordan Jefferson is sixth in kills (3.89 per set) and Rechez Lindsay second in digs (3.89).

HOWARD UPDATE: The Bison are 8-13, but have won their last six, including five MEAC wins. During non-conference play, Howard registered a win over Virginia of the ACC … Seniors Khalia Donaldson (285 kills) and Tamia Dockery (986 assists) are the heart of the offense while Jessica Young has added 211 kills.

MARYLAND-EASTERN SHORE UPDATE: The Hawks are on a four-match winning streak. They've also faced North Carolina A&T, South Carolina State and Savannah State of the Southern Division, winning all three … The Hawks have the league's best hitting percentage at .262 while holding opponents to .149 … Ivana Blazevic has a league-best service aces.

WEEKEND COVERAGE: Follow our official twitter feeds  -- @BCUathletics and @BCUvolleyball – for in-match updates and links to live stats and video streams.