GREENSBORO – The North Carolina A&T volleyball team went 1-1 at UNC Greensboro's Battle of North Carolina tournament at UNCG's Fleming Gymnasium by defeating the UNC Asheville Bulldogs in four sets (26-24, 25-20, 23-25, 25-22) on Saturday afternoon.
A&T lost to host UNCG on Friday. Saturday's win was timely. He snapped a three-match losing streak for the Aggies, and it gives them some momentum heading into the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) portion of their schedule.
A&T freshman Zariah Winton had a big afternoon inside Fleming on Saturday, recording a season-best 20 kills while posting a .341 hitting percentage. She also added a solo block and two service aces. Sophomore Tyne Ross, one of the nation's leaders in kills per set, continued her torrid pace with 16 kills.
Meanwhile, junior Leonor Polezzi recorded her fourth double-double of the season and 15th of her career with 44 assists and 19 digs as the Aggies improved to 4-5 overall. Polezzi and junior Valeria Estrada had three aces apiece.
"We put together a much better match today," said A&T head coach Hal Clifton. "We were able to get a lot of offensive production from a few different players, which helped create some one-on-one situations. I'm pretty happy with how we responded after yesterday's loss. We had a lot of energy and enthusiasm."
Some of that energy and enthusiasm came from winning an exciting first set over the Bulldogs, the Aggies' former conference mates in the Big South Conference. A&T and UNCA tied 10 times and participated in five lead changes in the first set.
One of those lead changes involved Winton slamming down a kill to give the Aggies a 24-23 lead. Ana Djurovic kept the set going with a kill, guaranteeing the set would go beyond the normal 25 points needed to win. A&T gained the advantage on an attack error by UNCA before Ross gave the Aggies a 1-0 match lead.
A Charlie Meadoweal ace completed a 3-0 run for A&T, giving the Aggies a 19-16 lead in the second set. The Bulldogs got back to within one, 20-19, on a Michelle Thao ace. A&T outscored the Bulldogs 4-1 from there, securing set point with a Ross kill. Polezzi put the Bulldogs away with an ace, giving the Aggies a 2-0 match advantage.
UNCA fought hard not to get swept in three sets, taking a 22-17 lead in the third. However, an attack from UNCA's Albertine van der Groot capped off a 5-1 A&T run, bringing the Aggies to within one, 23-22. Baylor Herlehy gave the Bulldogs set point with a kill before Winton continued to be an offensive force with another kill. Kylie Cackovic forced a fourth set with a kill. A set where the Aggies took a 17-12 lead.
UNCA responded with a 5-0 run before a block assist from freshman Daja Warren and sophomore Lily Bannister helped the Aggies recapture the lead at 18-17. A Winton kill and a Herlehy attack error extended A&T's lead to three. UNCA eventually battled to get back to within one, 22-21, on a Ross attack error.
Ross recovered and scored on a kill before UNCA's Avery Loeback responded with a kill to bring the Bulldogs back to within one. Djurovic gave the Aggies set and match point with a service error before her attack error gave the Aggies a 3-1 win.
A&T will now put its efforts into qualifying for another CAA tournament appearance, starting with a road weekend series against UNC Wilmington. The first match of the series is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Friday, September 26, at UNCW's Hanover Hall. The two teams will play again on Saturday, September 27, at 2 p.m.
