Aggies Face Four-Time Defending CAA Champion Towson at Moore

The Aggies have won their last two five-set matches.

Kevin L. Dorsey

The Aggies face a tough challenge this weekend against the four-time defending CAA champion Tigers.

Women's Volleyball | 10/28/2023 5:34:00 AM

GAME: Towson Tigers (17-5, 10-2 CAA) at North Carolina A&T (8-12, 6-6 CAA)
DATE: October 28-29, 2023
TIME(s): 2 p.m./2 p.m.
LOCATION: Greensboro, N.C. (Moore Gymnasium)
FLOVOLLEYBALL ANNOUNCERS: Joseph Level (play-by-play); Arlene Mitchell (analyst)

GREENSBORO – One of the best volleyball teams in the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA), and the country comes to Moore Gymnasium on Saturday and Sunday. North Carolina A&T must be up for the challenge because as the Aggies battle for a CAA tournament berth, their schedule appears challenging. The Aggies are in a three-way tie for seventh place in the standings with Hofstra and the College of Charleston.

If the Aggies make the tournament, they would have earned it. After their two-match series with CAA favorite and the No. 1 team in the conference in Towson, the Aggies close the season with two matches at Delaware and two at home against Campbell.

Delaware and Campbell are tied for second place in the CAA at 9-3. Towson's two losses in the conference were a five-set loss at home to Delaware and a three-set loss to Campbell at home. The Tigers are 6-0 on the road in CAA play. A&T is 3-1 at Moore Gymnasium this season.

STORYLINES:

The Aggies and the Tigers are playing for the fourth time. Towson has won the three previous matchups, including a two-match sweep of the Aggies in Towson, Md., last season. Saturday will mark the first time Towson will play in Moore Gymnasium.
The Aggies received yet another weekly honor this week. Freshman Samaya Wesson earned co-defensive player of the week from the CAA on Monday.
Wesson compiled a combined 16 blocks in two matches at William & Mary last week. She averaged 2.29 blocks as the Aggies split with the Tribe to remain in a hotly contested race for a CAA tournament berth.
It appears the Aggies' focus has turned to protecting the net. The Aggies have reached double-figure blocks in seven of their last eight matches, including a season-high 18 at Stony Brook on Oct. 1.
The Aggies' play at the net held the Tribe to a .134 hitting percentage over the two-match series. The Aggies are now fourth in the conference in blocks per sit (2.16). Wesson is averaging 1.33 blocks per set in her last six matches.
The Aggies have won six weekly honors this season. Two of those honors have been CAA offensive player of the week honors. Junior Naiya Sawtelle has won both of those honors. Sawtelle won her two honors on Aug. 28 and Sept. 25.
Kaili Doctor has three rookie of the week honors. She claimed her honors on Sept. 25, Oct. 9, and Oct. 16. Wesson won the latest on Oct. 23.
Sawtelle continues to excel as the Aggies leading offensive threat, but this season, she is doing it with a little more accuracy.
Sawtelle is on pace to put together the hitting percentage of her career. Sawtelle is hitting .228 this season. Last season, she hit a career-best .193. She is doing this without her attempts going down.
Sawtelle leads the CAA in attack attempts per set (10.54). Sawtelle also leads the league in kills per set (4.05), points (353.0), points per set (4.64), total attacks (801) and total kills (308).
Sawtelle is now second all-time in A&T volleyball history in kills with 1,133. She has double-figure kills in her last 11 matches. The 11 straight double-figure kill matches is a career-best for Sawtelle.
Five of those matches were three-setters; two were completed in four sets, and four were done in five.
A&T lost its first five five-set matches in 2023. But the Aggies have won their last two, one at home and one on the road. The Aggies led Hofstra before holding on to win. They also led Elon 2-1 before getting the victory.
Towson is the four-time defending CAA champions. The Tigers are coming off a 29-2 season a year ago. In 2019, the Tigers even won an NCAA tournament match. They have also, in recent years, received votes to enter the Top-25 poll last season after beating No. 7 Pittsburgh.
The Tigers want to make their 10th straight appearance in the CAA championship match. They have three players with 200-plus kills in Nina Cijac, Victoria Barrett and Irbe Lazda.
They also have three players averaging better than 1.00 blocks per set in Aayinde Smith, Erin Brothers and Lazda.
Head coach Don Metil leads Towson. He is the program's all-time winningest coach with 238 wins. In addition to beating a ranked opponent in Pittsburgh, Metil led Towson to a win over Rutgers in front of 1,012 fans at Towson's SECU Arena.