ASHEVILLE – North Carolina A&T received another historic moment in volleyball Friday night. Nearly a week after beating a Power Five for the first time, the Aggies recorded their first-ever win in the Big South Conference.
A&T improved to 9-4 overall and 1-0 in the Big South with a five-set win over UNC Asheville (25-14, 23-25, 25-23, 20-25, 15-13) at the Justice Center.
Edie Brewer (6-0, GR, setter, West Chester, Ohio) led the Aggies with another career triple-double. The reigning two-time Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) player of the year recorded 12 kills, 27 assists and 12 digs for her 11th career triple-double.
She also had a .321 hitting percentage. Naiya Sawtelle (6-0, FR, outside hitter, Stuart, Fla.) chipped in with 12 kills and 10 digs for her fourth double-double of the season.
After the teams traded off the first four sets, the Big South contest came down to set No. 5. UNCA (2-8, 0-1 Big South) came to within one of A&T at 13-12. After an Aggies timeout, Shaylynn Hall (6-1, SR, middle blocker, Raleigh, N.C.) recorded a kill to give the Aggies match and set point at 14-12. But a Molly Hackett kill kept the Bulldogs alive.
Macenzie Richards (6-0, SR, right side, Pickerington, Ohio) ended the Bulldogs hopes of overcoming the Aggies with a kill to give A&T the historic win.
"Every match matters," head coach Hal Clifton said. "You don't know which match is going to count at the end of the season. Getting a win on the road is huge. The first conference match of the year was a battle. I knew that it was going to be a battle.
"Every time I come the Asheville, they have an amazing support system. The fans were loud. They were crazy. It was their first home match. It had a making of a perfect storm, but we weathered it. I thought that we played really well."
A&T finished the first set robust with a 6-1 run to win by 11. However, UNCA fought back in the second set to take a 24-21 lead. The Aggies scored the next two points to stay in the set before Hackett tied the match at 1 with a kill.
The Aggies trailed 18-14 in the third set. They battled back to tie the set at 22, which led to a Bulldogs timeout. Peyton McClinton scored on a kill to give the Bulldogs the lead back. After the Aggies called timeout, Fatimah Shabazz (6-0, R-SR, RS, Cincinnati, Ohio) recorded a kill to tie the set. Two consecutive UNCA attack errors gave the Aggies a 2-1 match lead.
The fourth set saw UNCA close with a 9-6 spurt to win by five, setting up the fifth-set showdown.
"I felt like this is what we were planning coming off a very strong preseason," Shabazz said.
"It's conference. We have something to prove. The crowd was super loud, and that's something that drives us."
Hackett led the Bulldogs with 19 kills and 11 digs. Grace Volk posted 45 assists, and McClinton with 12 kills and 12 digs.
Mallory Porcher (6-0, JR, middle blocker, Orlando, Fla.) added 10 kills and five blocks for the Aggies with a .476 hitting percentage. Shabazz posted 10 kills and six blocks, including two solo blocks. Hall added eight kills and three blocks.
Andrea Laboy-Rivera (5-5, SR, libero, Coamo, Puerto Rico) recorded a match-high 19 digs and added four assists and a service ace. Richards had six kills with a .500 hitting percentage, and Addy Warfield (5-0, JR, setter, Winter Springs, Fla.) added 24 assists.
