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In what must be considered their signature win since joining the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) in 2022, the North Carolina A&T Aggies volleyball team got 17 kills and 18 digs from senior Hannah Howell to defeat the College of Charleston, a team that came into Friday’s match tied for first place in the CAA, in five sets (25-27, 25-13, 25-22, 21-25, 15-8) at Moore Gymnasium.
The Aggies did themselves a favor on Friday in their journey to qualify for their first-ever CAA tournament by improving to 12-7 overall and 7-4 in league play as they will enter Saturday’s rematch with the Charleston Cougars tied for fifth place in a league that takes the top six teams with tiebreakers playing a factor.
Freshman Tyne Ross led the Aggies with 27 kills. It marked the third-best single-match performance by Arlene Mitchell’s 33 (9/3/2005) and Courteney Pitt’s 32 (9/20/19). The Cougars, who dropped to 17-6 overall and 9-2 in league play, will try to salvage a weekend split with the Aggies, with the first serve scheduled for 3 p.m.
“I thought we put together a very good match today,” said A&T head coach Hal Clifton. “It’s one the most complete matches we have played this year. We got a lot of contributions from a number of players, but I felt like our seniors really stepped up and made some key plays.”
A&T got off to a rocky start. But once the Aggies steadied themselves, they helped the Cougars put forth 2 ½ hours of entertaining volleyball. The Aggies overcame a 15-8 deficit in the first set to force a 19-19 tie on a Ross kill. After rallying, the Aggies fought the Cougars to a 25-25 tie on a Howell kill. However, an Aggies service error and a block assist from Caitlyn Callahan and Hannah Scott helped the Cougars survive and take a 1-0 match lead.
Despite the first-set loss, the Aggies gained some confidence against one of the better teams in the CAA. They used that confidence to dominate the second set before taking a 2-1 match lead behind seven kills from Ross and 12 assists from sophomore setter Leonor Polezzi in the third set.
The Aggies tried to finish off the Cougars in the fourth set, moving within two points, 15-13, behind a kill from senior Maya Johnson. However, a 4-0 Charleston run aided by a red card given to the Aggies helped Charleston pull away to tie the match at 2-2.
Fifth sets have caused heartbreak for the Aggies during their time in the CAA, but in a show of growth for the program, the Aggies were brilliant in Friday’s fifth set. A&T made only one attack error in 23 attempts in the fifth set to hit .435. Howell gave the Aggies an 8-3 lead on a kill before an attack error from Charleston’s Allie Holland gave the Aggies complete control of the fifth and deciding set with a 13-6 advantage.
A Ross kill gave the Aggies set and match point, and Johnson put an exclamation point on the win with a kill. Polezzi had 56 assists, 11 digs, and a career-high six service aces when the match ended. She collected her sixth double-double of the season. Polezzi finished three assists shy of breaking the program’s single-match record.
“We had a pretty good balanced attack, but Tyne really hit some nice shots tonight,” said Clifton. “Shots you don’t see a lot of freshmen make, and what a crowd tonight. Their energy was electric, and it fueled our team.”
Sophomore Valeria Estrada had the fourth-best single-match performance in program history with 34 digs. Howell had her fifth double-double of the season and the 13th of her career. Meanwhile, sophomore Mikala Sampson posted a career-high 12 kills. Emily Dykes led the Cougars with 13 kills.
