- The Aggies went 2-1 at the Charlotte Invitational and will play in the Furman Invitational Sept. 3-5, opening against Queens University of Charlotte at 3 p.m. at Timmons Arena in Greenville, SC.
- Junior Tyne Ross and Agata Zwierzynska made the all-tournament team at the Charlotte Invitational.
- Ross averaged 3.92 kills, 1.83 digs, and 0.75 blocks per set while hitting .271 for the tournament. Zwierzynska averaged 2.80 kills per set and hit .364 for the tournament.
- The Charlotte 49ers are 35-5 all-time against A&T.
CHARLOTTE, NC – The Charlotte 49ers beat North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University volleyball in three sets (25-17, 26-24, 25-20) Sunday afternoon at Halton Arena during the final day of the Charlotte Invitational hosted by the 49ers.
But for the Aggies to defeat two mid-major teams, one from the Sun Belt Conference in Appalachian State and the other from the American East, in Bryant is not a bad way to start the season. But the second set of Sunday's match left the Aggies wondering what the weekend may have been.
After the 49ers took the first set, the Aggies grabbed an 11-6 lead in the second thanks to a kill from sophomore
Zariah Winton. The 49ers rallied by outscoring A&T 9-3 before the media timeout to take a 15-14 advantage. The Aggies regained control with a 6-2 spurt capped by a
Tyne Ross kill, but Charlotte answered with a 3-0 run, tying the set at 20-20 and leading to an A&T timeout.
The Aggies regained the lead thanks to a Charlotte attack error, but the 49ers outscored the Aggies 4-1 to capture set point at 24-22. Junior
Agata Zwierzynska kept the Aggies in the set with a kill before Winton tied the set with a kill. But a solo block by Milan Cannon halted the Aggies' momentum, and Sofia Locadia and Mariam Mushkudiani gave the 49ers the set with a block assist. Zwierzynka led the Aggies in the set with seven kills and a solo block.
"It was a tough day today," said A&T head coach Hal Clifton. "We sort of ran into a roadblock. Had we been able to pull out that (second) set, it may have changed the momentum."
Despite the setback, the Aggies remained competitive in the third set. Freshman
Madison Curry tied the set at 10-10, but Charlotte marched toward the win with a 7-0 run. The Aggies kept fighting, and sophomore
Nicole Ellis capped off A&T's 8-2 run with a kill to bring the Aggies to within two at 20-18.
Charlotte scored the next two points before Ellis and senior
Mikala Sampson teamed on a block assist to cut the 49ers' lead to 22-19. But an A&T attack error and a service ace from Harper Hall gave the 49ers set and match point. A solo block from freshman
Kirsten Kemper kept the match going until Charlotte's Cassidy Flakes clinched the win with a kill.
"We played well in spurts but just weren't able to capitalize on some opportunities when presented," said Clifton. "We dug a lot of balls but just weren't able to switch them into transition points. We will watch some film, get back in the gym, and keep working. 2-1 is a solid start."
Ross had 11 kills and six digs against the 49ers. Zwierzynska posted 10 kills and a .421 hitting percentage. Mushkudiani led the 49ers with nine kills and five total blocks.
