Chiara Napoli returns for her sophomore season after averaging 0.95 kills, 4.48 assists, 0.37 service aces, 1.90 digs and 0.42 blocks per set.
GREENSBORO – A few years ago, players from the North Carolina A&T volleyball team choreographed a routine to Destiny's Child's hit song "Lose My Breath" borrowed from Beyoncé's Homecoming concert film on Netflix. Each year since, the team has built a tradition around new players learning that routine. Anyone who watched the 2022 A&T volleyball team knows that is what that Aggies team made them do.
Lose their breath.
A year ago, the Aggies played in 10 thrilling and nail-biting five-set matches, winning five. In Coastal Athletic Conference (CAA) play, they went 4-3 in those matches. If a few more of those "Lose My Breath" type matches had gone the Aggies way, they would have earned a berth into the CAA Volleyball Championship Tournament in only their first year in the league.
Instead, the Aggies missed the CAA tournament in a tiebreaker to Stony Brook after the Seawolves upset Elon in five sets in their season finale after trailing 2-0. The Seawolves grabbed the eighth and final berth in the tournament. The day before, the Aggies lost a five-setter to the College of Charleston that would have clinched the berth. The Aggies finished the season 9-17 overall and 5-11 in league play.
But a few months have fallen off the calendar since, and the Aggies now have a year of experience in the CAA with many of the same faces and standout players returning to the court for the 2023 season. A&T opens the season against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights on Friday at 4:30 p.m. in the University of Virginia Cavalier Classic in Charlottesville, Va.
"I feel like it gives us a lot of confidence and comfort knowing what the CAA landscape looks like," said A&T head coach Hal Clifton, who enters his 13th season with the program. "We had chances last year in some matches but weren't experienced enough to close them out. We were playing a little tight at times.
I think we maybe put some undue pressure on ourselves. Now, we are a year more experienced, mentally and physically, with many players returning who saw action last year. Even in the matches we lost last year, we made our opponents work."
During preseason camp, A&T has been hard at work, working on some tools that could turn more of those five-setters into wins. The Aggies have spent many practice hours working on serving more aggressively. Clifton said the Aggies were a high-error team in serves and a little reckless at times on offense. They have also spent time on serve receive.
"We also have to take care of the ball on off plays, taking advantage of opportunities when they present themselves," said Clifton. "We need to be crisper on the routine touches and keep ourselves in system. We have to put more pressure on our opponent's defense. At times last year, we were predictable."
Clifton certainly returns one of the best offensive threats in the CAA in junior outside Naiya Sawtelle. Sawtelle has had little to no trouble transitioning from league to league. She came to A&T after the Aggies switched from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) to the Big South in 2021 and earned second-team all-conference and all-freshman team honors.
Last season, she ranked second in the CAA in kills per set (4.17) to earn second-team All-CAA recognition. In addition, she comes into the season 175 successful attacks shy of becoming only the fourth player in program history to record 1,000 career kills.
Two other juniors who have grown up with Sawtelle on the court include outside hitter Hannah Howell and middle blocker Maya Johnson. Howell had a breakout sophomore campaign thanks to 251 kills, 24 service aces and 19 total blocks to provide the Aggies with 294 points. She also recorded seven double-doubles. Johnson led the team in blocks at 0.91 per set and averaged 0.87 kills per set.
"It gives us a lot of cohesiveness and maturity on the court," Clifton said about his junior trio. "Hannah and Naiya have been our primary pins, and MJ has been solid in the middle. I'm expecting a lot of leadership from these three. MJ is starting to come into her own and is developing into an offensive weapon along the net. She has also started to figure out the blocking nuances. Hannah and Nai are more comfortable on the court and showing more confidence. All three are competitors at heart."
Two other returners who will supply the Aggies with some offense are graduate right side hitter Liselotte Spoormakers and sophomore setter Chiara Napoli. In the case of Napoli, she could develop into an overall versatile nightmare for opponents in a similar role that former two-time MEAC player of the year Edie Brewer provided.
After playing at a high level of competition in France, Napoli came to A&T in 2022 and provided the Aggies with 0.95 kills, 4.48 assists, 0.37 service aces, 1.90 digs and 0.42 blocks per set. In the process, she scored 160 points from her setter position, ranking fifth in the conference and 121st nationally in service aces per set. She also registered seven double-doubles on the season.
Meanwhile, Spoormakers, another player who brought tons of international experience in her first year in Aggieland, scored 131 points and averaged 1.15 kills per set. Spoormakers also looks to make a difference at the net after averaging 0.38 blocks per set.
While Johnson will be a critical component at the net, the Aggies back row defense and primary serve-receive duties fall on senior libero Morgan Allen. Allen has come into her own over the past two seasons after transferring from the University of Tampa. She ranked eighth in the CAA in total digs (377) and recorded 20 or more digs six times last season.
"Morgan grew a lot this past year," said Clifton. "She is taking ownership of the backcourt and our serve receive. She is more comfortable in her role as a libero and more confident in her skill set. She is a bundle of energy and can really spark some momentum on big digs and off plays. Her teammates are confident in her abilities and know what she can do. She is all in and not afraid to go one-on-one with anyone. She has no fear."
KEY RESERVES RETURNING
Junior Laurel Rogers could help Allen on the back row. Two freshmen from last season's team who could step into more prominent roles this season are sophomores Sagaia Reilly and Jada Hampton. Reilly played in 24 sets within 12 matches last season. She can play the setter role but was positioned more as a right side last season. Hampton showed tremendous potential at the net in 2022. In the 15 matches she played, she tallied six block assists and one solo block. She should provide the Aggies with height and depth at the middle blocker position.
Junior Madison Sanabria could do the same. After watching and learning as a freshman, Sanabria played 27 sets within 12 matches and blocked 0.67 attack attempts per set. The graduation of Mallory Porcher could open the door for Sanabria and Hampton to get more time patrolling the net for A&T.
Junior Ceci Carter returns for her third season as an outside hitter/defensive specialist, and senior Arie Walker looks to help the Aggies defensively as a defensive specialist.
FRESHMAN CLASS
Clifton and his staff brought in an impressive class for their second year in the CAA, adding four freshmen during the offseason.
Libero/defensive specialist Valeria Estrada is a Puerto Rican native. She brings speed and quickness as a back-row player. Clifton said she is willing to go "toe-to-toe" with any attacker. She earned AAU All-America honors before coming to A&T. Estrada has good range, allowing her to get to balls that generally fall to the floor for a kill.
The Aggies also brought in 6-foot Houston native Mikala Sampson to serve as a middle blocker and right side. Sampson has had to face teammate and all-conference standout Sawtelle across from the next during the preseason and has held her own. She has primarily played the right side position in practice thus far.
A&T added even more height with 6-2 middle Samaya Wesson out of Arlington, Texas. She is good along the net, according to Clifton. She, too, earned AAU All-America honors before coming to the east side of Greensboro. Kaili Doctor is another excellent addition to the mix. She brings a solid offensive game to the court.
Doctor can score from many areas. Clifton said she has a fast arm and can generate some heat. Clifton added that once she becomes comfortable with the game's speed, she will no doubt be someone to keep an eye on.
"This is a really nice and balanced freshman class," Clifton said. "The one thing all four bring is an inquisitive mindset. They are asking questions and growing quickly. They are taking the feedback really well. I like how they are approaching the game."
THE SCHEDULE
After the UVa tournament, the Aggies will play in two more non-conference tournaments before opening the conference season against UNC Wilmington on Saturday, Sept. 16 at UNCW. They will play the Seahawks again the following day before playing their season opener against HBCU rival Hampton on Saturday, Sept. 23, at Moore Gymnasium.
Some talented teams will visit Moore this season, including Hofstra, for a weekend series Oct. 7-8. The Pride is picked to finish third in the CAA. CAA powerhouse and preseason favorite Towson comes to A&T for two matches Oct. 28-29. A familiar foe returns to Moore, Nov. 11-12, in the Campbell Fighting Camels. Campbell is the newest member of the CAA after leaving the Big South. Campbell and A&T played as Big South rivals in Moore during the 2021 season.
"I feel like our effort in the gym has been really good so far," said Clifton. "The energy, the vibe has been good. Our incoming players are meshing nicely with the returners. I think we have gotten more physical at the net. There is good chemistry on the court. We have depth at all the positions, and we have players competing daily to earn a spot."
In other words, the Aggies are ready to "bring the noise!"
