EAST GREENSBORO – North Carolina A&T improved to 3-0 against its former volleyball conference mates in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) this season with a three-set win over N.C. Central, 25-22, 25-19, 25-23, at Moore Gymnasium Friday night in the Aggies/Phoenix Volley For Unity Tournament co-hosted by A&T and Elon. 

It was the Aggies 10th straight win over the Eagles as A&T improved to 4-3 on the season. N.C. Central dropped to 1-5 after losing to the Aggies for a second time this season.      

"Central isn't going to give you anything," A&T coach Hal Clifton said. "We knew that they were going to come back and fight hard in the third set, which they did. They served tough and found a couple of places to work the ball around. They weren't going to give up easily. We made a couple of adjustments, and we made a couple of substitutions." 

Clifton's Aggies took a 19-14 lead in the third set thanks in part to a 6-0 spurt that saw Mallory Porcher (6-foot, JR, MB, Orlando, Fla.) score on two kills and a block assist. The Eagles came roaring back, however. A service and attack error by A&T and a kill from Abby Vacha got the Eagles to within two at 21-19. 

After an Aggies timeout, A&T returned to the court and scored two straight points before a kill by NCCU's Estfania Louise made it 23-20. Courteney Ptt (6-1, GR, OH, Farmville, N.C.) put the Aggies into a match and set-point situation with a kill. NCCU rallied for two more points before Pitt ended the night with a kill. 

Andrea Laboy-Rivera (5-5, SR, libero, Coamo, Puerto Rico) recorded a match-high 18 digs and added three assists. Fatimah Shabazz (6-0, SR, right side, Cincinnati, Ohio) recorded a match-high 11 kills with two blocks and a .450 hitting percentage, and Naiya Sawtelle (6-0, FR, outside hitter, Stuart, Fla.) recorded 10 kills, five digs, three blocks and one service ace.

 "We definitely played as a team," said Sawtelle. "They are a really good team. We started strong and played well. We played together as a team. We encouraged each other, and we stuck together. We've been working on our defense a lot the last couple of practices, where we are focusing on pressing our hands and finishing strong. Defensively, we are trying to get in position, watch the hitter and read the hitter."

Edie Brewer (6-0, GR, setter, West Chester, Ohio) led the Aggies with 17 assists to go along with four kills, five digs and a service ace. Addy Warfield (5-9, JR, setter, Winter Springs, Fla.) recorded 14 assists, four digs and three service aces.

Porcher had a match-high four blocks, and Shaylynn Hall (6-1, SR, middle blocker, Raleigh, N.C.) had four blocks, including a solo block to go along with three kills. 

In the first set, A&T withstood a late 3-0 NCCU run that cut the Aggies lead to 21-19. After an Aggies timeout, A&T scored on an Eagles service error. Brewer and Hall then combined on a block to put the Aggies up four. After a Louis kill, Pitt responded with a kill of her own before the Eagles scored two straight points to make it a 24-22 set. 

Pitt s ended the set with a kill to put the Aggies ahead 1-0 in the match. 

Behind an offensive onslaught that saw Warfield score on a kill and a service ace in a 7-0 Aggies spurt, the Aggies took a 12-6 lead in the second. A&T led by as many as seven in the set. That was the lead when Shabazz slammed down a kill to make it a 22-15 set. 

A 3-0 NCCU run cut the lead to four, but a Brewer kill, and a Louis error put the Aggies back in command at 24-18. The Aggies took a two-set lead when Brewer finished off the Eagles with a kill, leading to their hard-fought third-set victory. 

Vacha led the Eagles with seven kills. Lauren Janok added 23 assists, and Alyssa Pieh finished with 15 digs.