WILMINGTON, NC – North Carolina A&T did not have the performance it wanted in its Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) volleyball opener on Saturday afternoon at Hanover Hall. The Seahawks played stellar throughout the match, beating the Aggies in three sets, 25-17, 10, and 16. 

In beating A&T, UNCW played about as well as a volleyball team can play. The Seahawks hit .404 for the match, recorded 13 service aces and had five players register five or more kills in improving to 4-7 overall and 1-0 in league play. By contrast, the Aggies had one player record more than five kills in the match, as junior Naiya Sawtelle, who finished with six. 

"Today was really rough," said A&T head coach Hal Clifton. "We could not find a rhythm with any lineup. Obviously, we didn't open CAA play the way we wanted. We will regroup and get after it tomorrow." 

The two teams will complete the two-match weekend series Sunday at 2 p.m. from Hanover Hall. In the meantime, the Aggies will chalk up Saturday as one of those days. In the first set, it appeared the Aggies had some momentum after a kill apiece from Hannah Howell and Chiara Napoli got A&T to within three at 19-16. But the Seahawks put together a 6-1 run to end the set and take a 1-0 lead. 

UNCW was near perfect in the second set. The Seahawks went without an attack error on 30 swings, posting an incredible .567 hitting percentage. UNCW continued to play well in the third set, grabbing an 18-10 lead before the Aggies cut the lead to 20-16 on Howell's kill. But back-to-back kills from the Seahawks forced A&T to call timeout. 

UNCW then finished A&T off with three straight points. Napoli finished with 15 assists and five digs for A&T. Katie Lanz and Caitlyn Callahan had 11 kills apiece for the Seahawks.