CHARLESTON, SC – North Carolina A&T volleyball got a big win on Saturday. What made it even bigger is that it came on the road.
Behind a career performance from sophomore Tyne Ross, the Aggies avoided sliding down the standings in an always competitive Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) conference. The Aggies defeated the College of Charleston Cougars 3-2 (22-25, 25-15, 25-18, 22-25, 15-11) at TD Arena.
Ross tied a career high with 27 kills. She accumulated 27 kills on 66 attack attempts, the fifth-highest total in a single match in program history. Ross made only six attack errors in those 66 attempts, for a highly impressive .318 hitting percentage. If that wasn't enough, she added 12 digs for her first double-double of the season and the sixth of her career. In addition, she recorded four service aces.
A year ago, Ross compiled 79 attack attempts and 27 kills in a 3-2 win over Charleston at A&T's Moore Gymnasium. That total still stands as the second-highest in program history, three behind Courteney Pitt's 82 in 2019.
There were more career performances to speak of on Saturday. Sophomore Luca Radnai also had a career afternoon, finishing with a career-high 11 kills. It marked the first time in her career that she reached double-figure kills. Sophomore Anahi Alvarado finished with a career-high 23 digs.
Meanwhile, as a team, the Aggies improved to 3-3 in league play and 7-8 overall, earning their first CAA road win of the season. The win keeps the Aggies on pace with other CAA teams such as Campbell (4-2), Stony Brook (4-2) and Charleston, which dropped to 11-7 overall and 5-3 in CAA action.
"This was a big win for our program today," said A&T head coach Hal Clifton. "To go on the road at Charleston and come away with a split is something we really needed."
After Charleston took the match's first set, the Aggies roared back with vigor, putting together decisive wins over the next two sets to take a 2-1 lead in the match. The Aggies posted a combined .343 hitting percentage over those two sets. A&T's offensive prowess slowed down in the fourth set. The Cougars grabbed an 18-12 lead before the Aggies found their rhythm again.
A 6-1 A&T run fueled by three Ross kills pulled the Aggies to within one at 19-18. The Aggies remained within one, 22-21, on a kill from freshman Zariah Winton. Luca Radnai tied the set at 22 on an ace. Charleston took over the set from there. A kill from Caroline Noonan, a block assist from Noonan and Emma Duffied, and an attack error from freshman Nicole Ellis secured three straight points for the Cougars, forcing a fifth and deciding set.
Things did not look great for the Aggies in set No. 5 after a Julia Gnida kill gave the Cougars a 9-6 lead. But an ace from sophomore Lili Radnai and a kill from Ross seemed to get the Aggies rolling. The Aggies took a 10-9 lead on a block assist from Ellis and junior Leonor Polezzi before a Charleston attack error and another Ross kill gave the Aggies a three-point advantage.
That lead grew to four, 14-10, when Ross gave the Aggies set and match point with her 26th kill of the night. After a kill from Charleston's Izzy Marinelli, Ross's 27th kill ended the competition, giving the Aggies their third win over the Cougars in their last four matchups.
Ellis continued to show off her defensive might, finishing with eight kills and five total blocks. Junior Mikala Sampson added nine kills and three total blocks. Polezzi secured her 18th career double-double with 52 assists and 12 digs. Winton added 12 kills.
The Aggies return to action on Friday, October 17, at 6 p.m., when they host William & Mary at Moore Gymnasium. It will serve as Club Volleyball Night. A&T will face the Tribe again on Saturday from Moore at 2 p.m., for its Dig Pink match to raise awareness about breast cancer.
"Our middles did a fantastic job this weekend," said Clifton. "We were able to get them the ball quite a bit, and they took nice swings. Tyne really stepped up today, as well as Z (Zariah) and Mik (Mikala). I thought our serving was really good today. That helped us a lot."
