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North Carolina A&T

2023 Women's Volleyball Roster

Kevin L. Dorsey

21 Naiya Sawtelle

21 Naiya Sawtelle

  • Position:
    Outside Hitter
  • Height:
    6-0
  • Class:
    Junior
  • Highschool:
    Jensen Beach HS
  • Hometown:
    Stuart, Fla.

Summary

Biography

Sawtelle is methodically starting to place her name amongst the all-time greats in the history of the North Carolina A&T volleyball program … She enters her third season with the Aggies having totaled 825 kills, 464 digs, 56 service aces, 104 block assists, 85 total blocks and 946 points in 57 matches and 221 sets played … She also has recorded 19 double-doubles, 48 double-figure kill matches, nine matches of 20 kills or more and 22 double-figure dig matches in her career … She needs 175 kills to become only the fourth player in program history to record 1,000 kills, joining Arlene Mitchell, Brooke Stamnes and Courteney Pitt … After only two seasons with the Aggies, she ranks ninth all-time in career kills, and comes into the 2023 season tied for ninth all-time in service aces … Earned second-team and all-freshman team honors from the Big South Conference in 2021 before securing second-team All-CAA accolades in 2022 … Came to A&T as a powerful 6 rotation outside hitter … Bring athleticism and a solid volleyball IQ to Moore Gymnasium … Has proven to be comfortable hitting a lot of different playsets, which adds to her versatility as an offensive weapon for the Aggies … Head coach Hal Clifton says the fact that Sawtelle grew up as a coach’s daughter gives her a unique understanding of the game because she can draw from experiences that can’t be taught. 

2022 Season: Played in 26 matches with nine starts … Played in 103 sets in those matches, averaging 4.17 kills, 0.30 service aces, 1.94 digs and 0.58 blocks … Posted a .193 hitting percentage with 429 total kills and 209 attack errors on 1,141 total attacks … Her 429 kills is the fourth-best total in a single season in program history … Earned second-team All-CAA honors in A&T’s first season playing in the league … Named CAA volleyball player of the week twice during the season, on Aug. 29  and Oct. 10 ... Nationally, ranked 31st in points per set (4.80), 36th in kills per set, 40th in attacks per set (11.08), 64th in total points (494.5) and 67th in total kills … Ranked second in the conference in kills per set and points per set (4.80) … Had the CAA’s highest kills total in a three-set match in 2023 when she recorded 23 against William & Mary on Oct. 9 … Had the sixth and seventh-highest kills totals in a match of any conference player with 28 against the College of Charleston on Nov. 12 and 27 against William & Mary on Oct. 8 … Recorded the highest aces total of any CAA player throughout the season with eight against Lindenwood on Sept. 3 … She posted 20 or kills in a match seven times and had nine double-doubles throughout the season … Her 28 kills against Charleston marked a new career-high, and her eight aces against Lindenwood secured a career high … Posted a career-high 18 digs to go along with 19 kills in a five-set win over Hampton on Oct. 16 … Recorded a career-high .465 hitting percentage in a five-set win over UNC Greensboro, where Sawtelle had 25 kills and five attack errors on 43 total attacks … Had 27 kills, 11 digs and a career-best 4.5 total blocks, including five block assists in a five-set win over William & Mary on Oct. 8.  

2021 Season: Played in 31 matches with three starts … Played in 118 sets, averaging 33.6 kills, 3.83 points, 2.24 digs, 0.48 blocks and 0.21 service aces … Named second-team All-Big South and to the Big South’s all-freshman team … She led the team with 396 kills to rank sixth in program history for a single season … Recorded 10 double-doubles, including two to start her collegiate career … Started her collegiate career with 14 kills, 10 digs, three aces and a season-best four total blocks against Samford on Aug. 27 … Posted double-figure kills in 27 of 31 matches … Posted a season-high 24 kills and nine digs at Winthrop on Oct. 19 … Posted a season-high 17 digs three times vs. American (9/3), at Radford (10/2) and at Hampton (10/30) … Recorded a season-high six service aces at Charleston Southern on Oct. 16 in a three-set win … Recorded 22 kills and 15 digs in two matches during the Big South tournament … Recorded 12 kills in three sets with six digs against Connecticut on Dec. 4 in the NIVC tournament.

High School: Sawtelle played high school volleyball at Jensen Beach … Played club volleyball for Up on Top Volleyball Academy … Named first-team All-Area in 2018 and 2019 … Earned FACA All-State volleyball honors in 2019 … Named on the Prep Volleyball’s Class of 2021 Player to Watch List in 2019 and named on the all-academic team the same year … Named as the JV volleyball captain in 2017 and a co-captain in 2020-21 … Named on the IRSC Dean’s List in the fall of 2019 and the spring of 2020 … Led Jensen Beach to the regional and district championships in 2020-21 and they were a state semi-finalist in 2017 … The team also was district and regional champions in 2017 and 2018 … Also competed in weightlifting, swimming and flag football … She was a state weightlifting qualifier in 2020 and was the district and regional weightlifting champion in 2020 … She was also a regional weightlifting qualifier in 2019 ... Earned second-team all-area in 2018 … Was a swimming state qualifier in 2018 and named the varsity flag football best newcomer in 2018 as well as being named on the flag football all-state and all-academic team in 2019.  

No stats available for the current season.

Stat Snapshot (Season)

Offensive Stats
Kills
Assists
Aces
Points
Defensive Stats
Digs
Solo Blocks
Assisted Blocks
Total Blocks

Stat Snapshot (Career)

Offensive Stats
Kills
Assists
Aces
Points
Defensive Stats
Digs
Solo Blocks
Assisted Blocks
Total Blocks

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Season Stats

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Career Stats

Career Statistics

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Historical Player Information

  • 21

    2021Freshman

    Outside Hitter
    6'0"
    21
  • 21

    2022Sophomore

    Outside Hitter
    6'0"
    21
  • 21

    2023Junior

    Outside Hitter
    6'0"
    21