HIGH POINT - No one said rebuilding will be easy. A team loaded with freshmen took the court for the North Carolina A&T volleyball team on Friday, and learned some tough lessons in their debuts as Appalachian State defeated the Aggies 3-0 (25-9, 25-10, 25-13) in the High Point University Volleyball Classic at the Millis Center.

It was the season opener for both teams. Freshmen Tatiana Cooper and Jeana Daniels had four kills apiece for the Aggies. Senior Caroline Sedon led the Mountaineers with 10 kills and a .692 hitting percentage. She also had six block assists.

The more experienced Mountaineers lost only three serves over the first two sets. But the Aggies gathered themselves in the third set to give the Mountaineers a challenge. Sophomore Andrea Evans took a set from senior Amber Inman and slammed down a kill to move the Aggies to within two at 8-6.

An Appalachian State ball handling error and an attack error by Alison Blassingame helped the Aggies tie the game at 8. After a timeout, the Mountaineers scored the next seven points to put the Aggies away.

The Aggies return to action on Saturday at the Millis Center when they face High Point at 1:30 p.m., and UNC Wilmington at 4:30 p.m.