ELON, NC – Nearly a week after defeating Towson, the No. 1 volleyball team in the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA), the Elon Phoenix almost did the same to the North Carolina A&T Aggies.
A&T avoided Towson's fate by putting together an impressive mini run at the end of the fifth set to defeat the Phoenix 3-2 (22-25, 25-22, 25-19, 20-25, 15-13) Friday evening at the Schar Center. A&T's survival translated to the squad's fourth straight win and the Aggies' sixth win in their last seven outings to improve to 10-8 overall and 6-3 in CAA play. Elon's Simrin Carlsen, who also had a double-double in Elon's five-set upset of Towson, had 16 kills and 21 digs against A&T on Friday, but the Phoenix still dropped to 5-15 overall and 3-6 in league play.
Sophomore Tyne Ross, who has become somewhat of a double-double producer lately, finished with 23 kills and 10 digs for her third double-double in the last four matches. Her 72 total attack attempts make her the only player in program history to have more than one career match with 70-plus total attacks. She now has two after registering 79 total attacks against the College of Charleston in 2024.
Reigning CAA co-Defensive Player of the Week Leonor Polezzi had another outstanding overall match, finishing with 48 assists, 15 digs, five total blocks, and three kills. Polezzi came into the weekend leading the CAA in assists. The evening ended with Polezzi recording her 20th career double-double.
"This was a very solid road win," said A&T head coach Hal Clifton, who saw his team secure its second straight CAA road win. "Anytime you can pick up a win on the road, it's a good day. Today was a slugfest on the outside. Both teams had good efforts from the middle. But today the game was left pin dominant."
The Phoenix forced a fifth set with dominance from the outside. Elon took a 9-4 lead early in the set and never really let the Aggies regain their footing from there, hitting .412 in the set to send the match to its final and decisive set.
It was a nail-biting thriller.
Freshman Zariah Winton gave the Aggies an 11-10 lead with a kill, but an A&T service error and a solo block from Lindsey Harris allowed Elon to capture the lead. After an A&T timeout, Elon's Kayla Palmer committed an attack error to the set at 12-12. But the Phoenix regained the lead on another A&T service error. It would be Elon's final points of the night.
Ross initiated a 3-0 run that helped the Aggies win the contest. Ross's kill tied the set at 13 before Polezzi delivered a kill to give the Aggies match point. A ball-handling error from Palmer clinched the victory.
Winton contributed to the win with 19 kills, five digs, one solo block, and a .359 hitting percentage. Sophomore Luca Radnai had a terrific overall game, finishing with six kills, eight digs, five total blocks, and three service aces. Junior Valeria Estrada led the Aggies with 16 digs.
"Z (Zariah) really stepped up today. She had a career night, and Tyne did what Tyne does. Overall, I'm proud of our team's effort defensively. Each player who entered made a difference, even if it was a point or two. Have to get rested up for a quick turnaround."
The two teams will go at it again from the Schar Center, Saturday at 6 p.m.
