EAST GREENSBORO – North Carolina A&T and Campbell entertained and wowed fans at Moore Gymnasium Saturday night for five thrilling sets of Division I collegiate volleyball.
Campbell finally allowed everyone to breathe with a kill that earned the Camels the Big South Conference win (25-23, 25-20, 21-25, 23-25, 15-12).
Saturday marked the fifth time this season the Aggies have gone to a fifth set. It is the third time since they began conference play.
"We definitely are getting experience in the fifth set," said A&T coach Hal Clifton. "Unfortunately, this fifth set didn't fall our way, and our kids competed well. I thought they had a lot of grit. Unfortunately, we didn't come out in the win column tonight."
Shaylynn (6-1, SR, middle blocker, Raleigh, N.C.) led the Aggies (11-7, 3-3 Big South) with 11 blocks, 13 kills and a .500 hitting percentage. She recorded the first blocks-kills double-double since Stefani Eddins posted 17 kills and 10 blocks against Florida A&M on Oct. 25, 2002. It was also Hall's first career double-double.
"I think it's very rare to see that," Clifton said of Hall's double-double. "She's a monster at the net, and she's really aggressive with her hands, and she's grown so much over the last two years with her focus on blocking, reading and making good decisions at the net. I'm really proud of her performance both offensively and defensively."
Hall's kill at the end of the fourth set sent the match into a fifth set. Once there, both teams spent their time diving on the floor for digs or screaming with excitement after kills. It was that intense inside Moore Gymnasium Saturday night. Naiya Sawtelle (6-0, FR, outside hitter, Stuart, Fla.) even made a dig while lying flat on her back.
There were nine times and 10 lead changes in the fifth set. A 3-0 Aggies run capped off by a Hall kill gave the Aggies an 11-10 lead. The Camels (10-8, 5-1 Big South) responded with two straight points before a ball handling error tied the set at 12.
The two teams then produced a long rally that included Sawtelle's remarkable dig and many more amazing feats before Campbell's Lailah Green finally found a spot to land her kill for a 13-12 advantage. Even that was intense as the Aggies thought Green should have received a yellow card for taunting. Campbell ended the set and match with kills from Ananda Patterson and Green.
"We didn't play to our potential in the first two sets, and then we started to pick up in the third set," said Hall. "I was so proud of us. We fought really hard tonight, but it ended short."
All five sets were tremendously competitive, with the Camels winning the first two. A&T held a 23-22 lead in the first before the Camels scored the final three points for a 1-0 lead in the match.
After the Camels second-set win, the Aggies began their comeback efforts. The Aggies relinquished a 15-10 third-set lead as the Campbell tied things at 21. But a kill by Hall followed by three straight Campbell attack errors cut the Camels lead in the match to 2-1, which led to Hall's set No. 4 heroics to send the match into a fifth set.
The Aggies other statistical standouts included Edie Brewer's (6-0, GR, setter, West Chester, Ohio) 20-assist, 11-dig double-double performance. Sawtelle added 13 kills, nine digs and three blocks. Morgan Allen (5-5, SO, defensive specialist, Charlotte, N.C.) posted a season-high 11 digs.
Fatimah Shabazz (6-0, SR, right side, Cincinnati, Ohio) added seven kills and tied a career-high with seven blocks. Hannah Howell (6-0, FR, outside hitter, St. Louis Park, Minn.) had seven kills, seven digs and two blocks, and Addy Warfield (5-9, JR, setter, Winter Springs, Fla.) added 20 assists.
Campbell's leaders included Chloe Cook's 16 kills and Madee Mine's 27 assists. Claranne Fechter added 24 digs.
