GREENSBORO – North Carolina A&T got off to tremendous starts in each set Friday afternoon in its Coastal Athletic Association volleyball match against the Northeastern Huskies, and it proved beneficial every time in the Aggies three-set win (27-25, 26-24, 25-16) over the Huskies.
Freshman Tyne Ross led the Aggies with 20 kills while posting an impressive .444 hitting percentage. Ross's 20 kills in three sets marks only the ninth time an Aggie has recorded 20 or more kills in three sets. Arlene Mitchell and Naiya Sawtelle did it three times apiece. Courteney Pitt and Steffani Eddins also accomplished the feat.
Once again, the Aggies played in their home away from home in Corbett Sports Center instead of their regular home next door, Moore Gymnasium. The Aggies will also play their Saturday noon match against the Huskies at Corbett.
Inside Corbett, the Aggies remained undefeated in CAA play by improving to 3-0 while their overall record moved to 8-3. A&T has won four straight for the first time since winning four straight between October 12, 2021-October 21, 2021, and they are off to their best start since starting 10-1 during the spring of 2021. The Huskies lost their first conference match, dropping to 4-7 overall and 2-1 in league play.
Northeastern did have a hard time slowing down the Aggies early in sets, even though the Huskies did an excellent job of fighting back from A&T's fast starts over the first two sets before the Aggies pulled away in the third.
"We want to start fast," A&T head coach Hal Clifton said. "That was one of the big things we talked about all preseason. We want to get out to a lead. We want to be the first to five and really start off setting the tone and pace."
Mission accomplished on Friday. The Aggies scored the first six points of the match and eventually increased their lead to 11-2 on a service ace from Ross. But the Huskies outscored the Aggies 8-2 after Ross's ace, leading the Aggies to call a timeout. The Aggies maintained their lead after the timeout, taking a 21-17 lead on a Hannah Howell kill.
Northeastern responded by going on a 7-3 run to take a 24-23 lead on a Jane Nelson kill. Ross tied the set with a kill before a block assist from senior Maya Johnson and sophomore Mikala Sampson gave the Aggies a 25-24 advantage. But Nelson kept Northeastern in the fight with another kill before back-to-back kills from Ross finally put the Huskies away, giving the Aggies a 1-0 lead in the match.
"When things got out of place, we were able to come back and stay calm," Ross said. "We kept our composure, and that helped us get this win."
The Aggies got off to an 11-6 start in the second set and reached set point at 24-18 when sophomore setter Leonor Polezzi earned a set kill. Once again, the Huskies fought back, putting together a 6-0 run to tie the set at 24-24. But Brynn Smith, who tied the match at 24 with a kill, delivered an attack error to help the Aggies recapture the lead. Howell gave the Aggies a 2-0 lead with a kill.
There was no Northeastern rally in the third. A&T took a 14-7 lead before increasing its lead to 20-11 on a block assist from Johnson and Polezzi. The Aggies reached set and match point on a block assist from Polezzi and Luca Radnai as the Aggies grabbed a 24-14 advantage. A Georgia Stavrinides attack error gave the Aggies the match.
Howell added 14 kills for the Aggies. Freshman Charlie Meadoweal posted a season-high 13 digs, and sophomore Valeria Estrada had a three-set career-high with 17 digs. Polezzi posted 36 assists, eight digs, and four block assists. The Aggies will try to put together the same effort against the Huskies on Saturday.
"Every day is different," Clifton said. "I told them to enjoy the victory tonight, but when go to bed and wake up tomorrow morning, it's a new day. It's new for them (Northeastern). It's new for us. Yesterday is already gone and done, so enjoy what you have done. We competed. We played well. But when you come back here tomorrow morning, you have to be ready to compete because they will be ready to compete. Defending our homecourt is priority No. 1."
