GREENSBORO – If there is one team that has given the North Carolina A&T volleyball team problems since the Aggies joined the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) four years ago, it is the Hofstra Pride.
A&T almost solved that problem on Sunday, but the Pride pulled out a five-set win (22-25, 25-18, 25-14, 20-25, 15-7) over A&T at Moore Gymnasium. It marked the eighth time in nine tries the Pride has defeated the Aggies since 2022. As a result, Hofstra won for the ninth straight time this season, moving into a tie for first place in the CAA with a 10-2 mark. The Pride is 18-2 overall after combining for 32 team blocks throughout the weekend at Moore.
Meanwhile, the Aggies dropped to 11-10 overall and 7-5 in league play. The Aggies entered the weekend in fifth place in the CAA standings and will leave the weekend in the same position, despite losing to the Pride on Saturday and Sunday.
"I thought we came out together and played a much better match today," said A&T head coach Hal Clifton, who saw his team lose in three on Saturday. "I like the adjustments we made. I felt like we were more aggressive in serving and attacking."
After the Pride was effective against the league's leader in kills, Tyne Ross, the Aggies used Ross more strategically on Sunday. It helped. Ross finished with 15 kills and a .297 hitting percentage. Junior Leonor Polezzi had a good overall match, finishing with four kills, 43 assists, two service aces, 15 digs, and three total blocks. Polezzi secured her fifth straight double-double and now has 12 on the season and 23 for her career.
A&T's better showing on Sunday showed up early. A&T took a 12-7 lead on a Luca Radnai kill in the first set. A Beatriz Braga attack error gave the Aggies a 22-18 lead later in the set before a Braga service error gave the Aggies set point. Ross put the Aggies ahead 1-0 in the match with a kill.
Hofstra looked strong in the second and third sets. The Pride combined for 56 attack attempts over those two sets and made only three attack errors for a combined .482 hitting percentage. The precise offensive output helped Hofstra take a 2-1 match lead. But Hofstra's hitting percentage lowered to .139 in the fourth set as A&T freshman Daja Warren emerged.
Warren posted three total blocks in the fourth set. Polezzi, Ross and freshman Nicole Ellis had two total blocks apiece to aid Warren defensively. An 8-1 run capped by Warren and Polezzi combining for a block assist gave the Aggies a 24-17 lead in the fourth. After a 3-0 Hofstra run, a Polezzi kill forced the fifth and deciding set.
Hofstra took over the fifth set early, grabbing an 8-3 lead. A&T scored the next two points before the Pride outscored the Aggies 7-4 the rest of the match to secure the weekend sweep. Izadora Stedile led the Pride with 17 kills, 21 digs and two solo blocks.
"Hofstra is a very, very good team, and we hung in there with them," said Clifton. "I love how we responded in the fourth set. That really was a good showing to force a fifth set."
Freshmen Zariah Winton and Nicole Ellis had 12 and 10 kills, respectively. Ellis added three total blocks. The Aggies continue their fight to qualify for their second straight CAA tournament when they travel to the Long Island area to face the Stony Brook Seawolves in a weekend series, starting Friday at 5 p.m.
The series concludes on Saturday at 1 p.m. The Seawolves are in sixth place with a 6-6 conference mark, followed closely by Northeastern, which is 5-7. The top six teams in the league qualify for the tournament.
