DAVIDSON, N.C. – North Carolina A&T played a thrilling second set but could not pull it together in the other three. As a result, the New Mexico State University (NMSU) Aggies defeated the North Carolina A&T Aggies 3-1 (25-14, 29-27, 25-15, 25-13) during the second day of the Wildcat Classic hosted by Davidson University at John M. Belk Arena.
Sophomore Naiya Sawtelle (Stuart, Fla.) led the Aggie with a match-high 13 kills and added three service aces. Freshman Chiara Napoli (Saint-Raphael, France) and senior Addy Warfield (Winter Springs, Fal.) combined for 29 assists, with Napoli leading the way with 16. Warfield also had eight digs.
NMSU started the match hot, scoring the first 10 points to catapult their way to the first set win.
Then things got interesting in the second. NMSU took a 12-7 leading, forcing an A&T Aggies timeout. The timeout was effective. The A&T Aggies came and outscored NMSU 6-2, with the spurt ending with a Mallory Porcher (Orlando, Fla.) solo block and a Nadia Montalban-El-Hirichie ace to pull the A&T Aggies to within one at 14-13.
A Molley Johnson kill halted the A&T Aggies momentum for a moment, but a Sawtelle kill, two NMSU attack errors and a block assist from Maya Johnson (Austin, Texas) and Napoli gave the A&T Aggies a 17-15 lead.
Katie Birtcil's solo block slowed down the A&T Aggies for a moment, but the A&T Aggies remained strong offensively as they put together another rain. This time, the run was 4-0 and featured three Sawtelle kills to put the A&T Aggies ahead 21-16. But NMSU outscored the A&T Aggies 8-2, capped a Lia Mosher block to reach set point at 24-23.
But two straight A&T helped the A&T Aggies reach set point at 25-24. NMSU would get set point two more times in the second, the final time at 27-26. But Sawtelle showed up with two kills and a solo block to win the second set and tie the match at 1.
The A&T Aggies used the momentum from Set No. 2 to take a 3-0 lead in the third. NMSU settled in to take an 11-7 lead before the A&T Aggies got to within three, 12-9, on a Hannah Howell (St. Louis Park, Minn.) kill. But NMSU outscored the A&T Aggies 9-3 from that point to take a 21-12 lead. The A&T Aggies got to within seven on an NMSU service error, and a Porcher kill. But NMSU outscored the A&T Aggies 4-1 on two kills, an A&T attack error and a block assist in winning the set and regaining the match lead at 2-1.
In the fourth set, NMSU took a 16-4 lead. A&T got no closer than nine the rest of the way as NMSU closed out the set and the match on an Ashley Herman kill an A&T Aggies attack error.
Ryleigh Whitekettle led New Mexico State with 12 kills, and Rylee Fay led the team with 25 assists. Morgan Allen (Charlotte, N.C.) led the A&T Aggies with nine digs, and Howell recorded three aces.
