WILMINGTON, NC – Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) play opened Friday night for North Carolina A&T volleyball with a setback at Hanover Hall. The Aggies lost a competitive four-setter to UNC Wilmington, 25-21, 25-22, 22-25, 25-21.

The Aggies, who were missing some key players, dropped to 4-6 overall and 0-1 in CAA action. Hannah Forbes' 12-kill, 10-dig performance led the Seahawks, who improved to 2-10 overall and 1-2 in conference play.

Sophomore outside hitter Tyne Ross led all players in kills with 19, adding eight digs to her totals. Freshman outside Zariah Winton posted her first career double-double with 10 kills and 11 digs. Sophomore Lily Bannister had an efficient night, finishing with eight kills, five digs, four total blocks, and a .467 hitting percentage.

"Tonight was a slugfest on both sides," said A&T head coach Hal Clifton. "Both sides were swinging and going after it, which led to low hitting percentages on both sides. I feel like we played well in spurts and then something strange would happen, and it took us a minute to recover. We have to regroup and keep focusing on getting better."

After UNCW took the first set, the second and third sets characterized the seesaw affair Clifton described. There were 14 lead changes and five ties in the second set. Bannister gave the Aggies a 22-21 lead with a kill before an A&T service error tied the set. A block assist from UNCW's Meredith Keefer and Lilly Sullivan put the Seahawks in front 23-22, and a Ross attack error gave UNCW set point. Lauren Young's service ace gave UNCW a 2-0 lead in the match.

In the third set, the two teams kept the set tight by exchanging kills and errors. The Aggies took a five-point lead, 19-14, following an Ellis kill. However, a 5-0 UNCW run capped by back-to-back kills from Macy Leyda tied the set at 19-19. A&T had an emphatic answer.

It was Tyne Ross who characteristically interrupted her opponent's momentum with a kill. From there, 6-foot-1 senior middle blocker Jada Hampton and junior Leonor Polezzi united to block an attack from Leyda before Ross gave the Aggies a 22-19 advantage with another kill. UNCW never got any closer than two for the rest of the set as Ross gave the Aggies set point at 24-21 with a kill. Winton brought the Aggies to within one in the match, 2-1, with a kill.

UNCW sealed the deal in the fourth set with a 5-2 run that led to a 23-18 Seahawks advantage. A Ross kill and a UNCW attack error got the Aggies to within two before Keefer gave the Seahawks set and match point with a kill. A Forbes service error kept the Aggies alive before Keefer ended the contest with a kill.  

The teams will have a rematch on Saturday at 2 pm in Hanover Hall.