BUIES CREEK, NC – The North Carolina A&T volleyball team took care of business against a struggling Campbell squad in three sets (25-20, 25-16, 25-13) on Saturday and will go for two wins in Buies Creek when the two teams play again on Sunday at 1 p.m. from Gore Arena.

Although Campbell is 1-8 in the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) and 3-16 overall after Saturday's action, the team is more of a challenge than its record would suggest. They've already played against the top teams of the Coastal Athletic Association, including Delaware, Charleston, and Hofstra. Longtime A&T coach Hal Clifton recognized the danger of playing an away game against a team that's hungry for a victory.

"I was nervous going into the game," Clifton admitted. "I think we needed to play well. We're on the road. They're at home. They want to win."

High-flying freshman outside hitter Ross Tyne, who recently claimed her fourth CAA rookie of the week award, led the team with 13 kills and eight digs. Sophomore Mikala Sampson and senior Hannah Howell backed Tyne with seven kills each, and Sampson also contributed at the net with three total blocks. Sophomore setter Leonor Polezzi, who has been a revelation for the Aggies this season, had her sixth double-double of the season with 33 assists and 10 digs. She also posted five total blocks.

"I thought (Polezzi) ran a really nice offense today and got a lot of hitters involved," Clifton said. "So, I was really pleased with how she performed today."

The biggest scare for the Aggies came in the first set when the team fell behind 7-2, and Clifton called a timeout to calm the team down. After that, a couple of blocks at the net from Sampson and Luca Radnai, two kills each from Sampson and Ross, and several errors on Campbell's end helped A&T outscore the Camels 9-2 to reclaim control of the set.

The set remained closely contested until the Aggies won the final five points. Ross put the nail in the coffin with a set-ending kill, which is quickly becoming a signature of hers.

A&T maintained its strong performance in the second and third sets, cruising to 25-16 and 25-13 wins. Campbell's Gwen Wolkow, who led the Camels with nine kills, sealed the third set with an attack error.

The Aggies were solid at the net with nine total blocks, tied for second most in a match this season. The Sampson, Radnai, Polezzi, and senior Maya Johnson quartet consistently fended off attacks from Campbell's hitters, resulting in 23 Campbell attack errors.

While Clifton was pleased with the team for playing a complete game, he said there were still areas of improvement heading into Sunday.

"I'd like to see us handle the off-balls a little bit crisper," he said. "We had opportunities to make some touches off the block we dug but didn't dig very well. Our serve receive was still not as on point as I would have liked, but Campbell has some good servers back there."