ROCK HILL, S.C. – The North Carolina A&T volleyball team set two school records Tuesday night as the Aggies secured a critical 3-2 road win (21-25, 25-13, 25-14, 20-25, 15-10) against Winthrop at the Winthrop Coliseum. It was A&T's first win over Winthrop in 18 tries.
The Aggies recorded 119 digs. The record stood at 106 (Sept. 15, 2012, vs. Mercer) for nine years. Andrea Laboy-Rivera (5-5, SR, libero, Coamo, Puerto Rico) recorded a match-high and a career-high 39 digs to break the school record of 37 recorded by Lauren Walker on Nov. 9, 2006, against Campbell. Laboy-Rivera's previous best stood at 32 against Western Carolina on Sept. 20, 2019.
"This record is very important for me," Laboy-Rivera said. "It takes discipline, hard work and patience. But I wouldn't have reached this milestone without the help of my teammates, the guidance of my coaches and the support of my family. I always wanted to reach this goal, and we continue to reach more goals. Thank you, everyone!"
After Winthrop won the first set, the Aggies won the following two sets to take a 2-1 lead, but the Eagles won the fourth set forcing a deciding fifth set.
In the final set, the Aggies scored the first three points that included a kill from Shaylynn Hall (6-1, SR, middle blocker, Raleigh, N.C.) and an Edie Brewer (6-0, GR, setter, West Chester, Ohio) service ace forcing a Winthrop timeout.
After the timeout, the Eagles took a 6-5 lead. It would be their final lead of the match. A Karli Shepherd service error tied the set at six, but the Aggies scored the next five points, including three kills from Naiya Sawtelle (6-0, FR, outside hitter, Stuart, Fla.) to take an 11-6 lead.
A Morgan Bossler kill cut the lead to 11-7, but A&T scored two consecutive points from a Sawtelle kill and a Hannah Howell (6-0, FR, outside hitter, St. Louis Park, Minn.) kill for a 13-7 lead. A Nikkia Benitez kill, an Isabel Schaefbauer service ace and a Brewer attack error cut the lead to 14-10, forcing an A&T timeout.
After the timeout, Howell connected with the assist from Addy Warfield (5-9, JR, setter, Winter Springs, Fla.) to give the Aggies the set win.
The win marked the Aggies third straight victory as they moved to 14-7 overall and 6-3 in the Big South Conference. The Aggies are now in a three-way tie for third in the league along with Winthrop (11-8, 6-3 Big South) and USC Upstate.
"I'm really proud of how the team competed tonight," said A&T coach Hal Clifton.
"Winthrop is well-coached, and they were prepared for us. We were able to regroup and found a few things that helped us find our rhythm.
Very proud of the defensive effort tonight. However, our serve and pass game was pretty solid, and I think that made the difference."
Brewer recorded her third triple-double of the season and the 12th for her career with 11 kills, a match-high 29 assists and 17 digs to go along with three blocks. Warfield recorded a double-double with 17 assists and a career-high 21 digs. Mallory Porcher (6-0, JR, middle blocker, Orlando, Fla.) recorded five blocks and four kills.
Howell finished with 10 kills and nine digs. Fatimah Shabazz (6-0, SR, right side, Cincinnati, Ohio) recorded eight kills, nine digs and four blocks, and Hall recorded seven kills and five blocks.
The first set saw the Aggies rally cut the Eagles lead to 23-21, but the Eagles won the first set on a kill and a service ace to put A&T down a set.
The Aggies posted a .286 hitting percentage in the second set, leading to a commanding 16-6 advantage. The Eagles were never able to make competitive from there as A&T tied the match at 1.
A&T carried its momentum into the third set, taking a 7-2 lead. The Aggies used a 4-0 run to take a 14-6 lead and later used another 4-0 spurt to make it a 19-9 set. Brewer eventually gave the Aggies the set with a kill, giving A&T a 2-1 lead in the match.
Winthrop fought back to force the fifth set. With the set tied at 18, the Eagles scored three straight points and never trailed in the set again. An attack error did get the Aggies to within two at 22-20, but the Eagles put together three straight points to end the set and tie the match at 2.
Shepherd led Winthrop with 15 kills. Jana Owens recorded a double-double with a team-high 24 assists and 10 digs and Benitez recorded a double-double with 12 kills and a team-high 21 digs.
