North Carolina A&T (0-0) vs. East Carolina (0-0)
Date: Friday, Feb. 5
Time: 5 p.m.
Facility: Moore Gymnasium

AGGIES OVERVIEW: After three matches postponed matches for the North Carolina A&T volleyball due to COVID-19, the Aggies are finally ready to begin the 2021 season. The Aggies are used to waiting. N.C. A&T had to wait from their original start date in August until Friday night. 

Senior Edie Brewer is the preseason MEAC player of the year and a preseason first-team all-conference selection. Senior outside hitter Courteney Pitt joined Brewer on the preseason first-team.

Both players are considered two of the best players in the 50-year history of the MEAC, as voted on by media members and sports information directors last November. Last season, Brewer led the MEAC with eight triple-doubles, which ranked second in the nation. Brewer ranked seventh in the nation in assists per set (5.68), seventh in kills per set (2.79), and ninth in digs per set (2.51). Pitt ranked fourth in the MEAC in kills per set (3.40). 

Junior libero Andrea Laboy-Rivera led the team last season with 4.26 digs per set, finishing third in the MEAC. Junior middle hitter Shaylynn Hall led the conference in blocks per set (1.16).     

Hal Clifton leads N.C. A&T. Clifton enters his 10th season in Aggieland. When he arrived as the Aggies head coach, N.C. A&T only had five players. In the past three seasons, the Aggies have not finished below .500. The last time N.C. A&T finished below .500 in the MEAC under Clifton was 2012. Last season, he led the Aggies to the MEAC southern division title at 13-1, and the Aggies made a postseason appearance in the National Invitational Volleyball Championships. 

Clifton earned coach of the year in the MEAC in 2019. He has a 44-41 record (.518) over the past three seasons, including a 26-8 (.765) MEAC record over that same span. 

EAST CAROLINA PIRATES OVERVIEW: East Carolina is also playing its season-opener. Last season, the Pirates went 19-11 overall, including a 6-10 mark in the American Athletic Conference. Sydney Kleinman led the Pirates a year ago with 3.37 kills per set. Sydney Hall led the team in blocks per set (0.83). ECU Sydney Hall with 0.83 blocks per set. ECU does not return last year's assists leader in Shelby Martin (6.33) and their leader in digs, Brandee Markwith (4.50).  

First-year head coach Alder Augustin leads East Carolina. Augustin spent the past five seasons as an assistant coach at Stephen F. Austin. During his tenure there, Augustin guided SFA guide to 129 victories, three Southland Conference regular-season titles, two conference tournament championships, two undefeated league campaigns, and a pair of NCAA tournament appearances in the last five years. ECU named him head coach last June.                                 

 WINNING WAYS: N.C. A&T has had a .500 or better record three consecutive seasons. That last occurred from 200-03. 

CAREER WATCH: 

• Pitt needs 26 kills to become the third Aggie to reach at least 1,000 career kills.  
• Brewer ranks in the top-10 in school history in kills, assists, digs, service aces and block assists. She ranks 10th in kills (626), fourth in assists (1,888), ninth in digs (680), seventh in service aces (109), and seventh in block assists (146). 
• Laboy-Rivera has 899 career digs to place fifth in school history. She needs 38 digs to move past Brooke Stamnes (2012-15) in fourth place.                                   

UP NEXT: The Aggies start the MEAC schedule with Norfolk State at 4 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 11, at Moore Gymnasium. The same two teams play at 1 p.m. the next day at Moore.