WASHINGTON, DC — North Carolina A&T was not as successful in the nation's capital in volleyball on Saturday as it was on Friday. A day after defeating Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) power Howard, the Aggies lost to American University in three sets (25-15, 21, 16) at Bender Arena on Saturday evening.
The loss gives the Aggies a split in Washington, DC, over the weekend. The Aggies dropped to 3-3 on the season after struggling offensively with a .061 hitting percentage. Meanwhile, the Eagles posted a .383 hitting percentage.
"Today was not a good day for the Aggies volleyball team," said A&T head coach Hal Clifton. "We played defensively all day. We couldn't get into a groove. We played some great points but couldn't string enough of them together."
The Eagles slowed down the Aggies hitters. Sophomore Tyne Ross, who came into the match ranked third in the nation in kills per set (5.04), had eight kills and five digs. Freshman Zariah Winton posted six kills and three service aces, but had a minus-.143 hitting percentage. Freshman Nicole Ellis had four kills and only one attack error, resulting in a .500 hitting percentage.
American took advantage of four attack errors early in the first, including one coming on a block assist, to take a 6-1 lead. The Eagles grew their lead to 20-12 before gaining set point on a Salme Adeele Hollas kill. A block assist from Elise Sterling and Hollas gave the Eagles a 1-0 match lead.
A&T had a better showing in Set No. 2. Three straight attack errors put A&T in a 15-10 hole, but the Aggies started to fight back. Back-to-back Ellis kills and an ace from Winton cut American's lead to two. A Winton kill eventually tied the set at 16 before junior Valeria Estrada's ace gave the Aggies the lead.
The two teams traded blows from there. Sophomore Luca Radnai gave the Eagles their final lead of the set with a kill, giving the Aggies a 20-19 advantage. American went on a 4-0 run to take a three-point lead. Amercan's run ended on a service error, but the Eagles followed with a Sophie Dufour kill and a Dufour ace to win the set.
The Eagles got off to another strong start in the third, taking a 14-7 lead. They grew that lead to 10, 21-11, on an A&T attack error. An A&T service error gave the Eagles set and match point before Ross misfired on an attack to secure the 3-0 win for American.
"It was a tough loss, but we still gave everything we had in the tank," said Clifton. "It's been a busy three weeks playing very good competition. We have a quick turnaround this week as we head to (Wake Forest) on Thursday."
Junior Leonor Polezzi led the Aggies in assists (25) and digs (8). Dufour paced the Eagles with 15 kills. The Aggies have a busy week ahead, starting on Thursday when they travel to Winston-Salem, NC, to face the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at 6:30 p.m.
The next day, the Aggies will face Gate City Division I rival UNC Greensboro at Fleming Gymnasium at 6 p.m., in UNCG's Battle of North Carolina tournament. On Saturday at Fleming, the Aggies will face UNC Asheville at 1 p.m
