A&T Goes Into Second Place With Win Over SCSU

Courtesy: N.C. A&T Sports Information

EAST GREENSBORO, North Carolina – Other than an anomaly of a third set, the North Carolina A&T volleyball team looked comfortable being back in the familiar surroundings of Moore Gymnasium Friday night with the Greatest Homecoming on Earth surviving as motivation.

N.C. A&T posted 10 service aces and sophomore Edie Brewer nearly put together a triple-double in a 3-1 (25-17, 25-22, 20-25, 25-19) triumph over S.C. State. It was a needed a win for the Aggies after they lost two straight in Florida to Florida A&M and Bethune-Cookman.

Their win puts the Aggies (10-11, 5-3 MEAC) back into contention for at least a No. 2 seed out of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Southern Division going into this month’s conference tournament after the B-CU slipped back into second with a 3-1 loss to FAMU Friday night.

Brewer led the way with eight kills, 33 assists and 13 digs and three service aces for her 11thcareer double-double. Brewer did not make an attack error and finished with a .571 hitting percentage. Junior Christa Wilson also went errorless on attacks, recorded four kills and nine digs and posted a .571 hitting percentage.

Sophomore Courteney Pitt contributed with 17 kills and six digs as the Aggies improved to 3-1 at home in conference play.

The Aggies overwhelmed the Bulldogs in the first set. They posted four services aces and hit. 286 for the set. The Bulldogs started showing signs of competitiveness in the second set. SCSU’s Kyra Marshall had seven kills in the set. It was Marshall’s kill that tied the set at 21. But the Aggies scored the next three points to take control of the set. An Aggies attack error slowed the momentum, but senior Megan Wiggins set Pitt beautifully for a set-ending kill.

With a 2-0 advantage in the match, the Aggies had trouble putting the Bulldogs away in third. SCSU only recorded seven kills in the set, but the Aggies were helpful by committing 12 attack errors for -.032 hitting percentage. The Aggies trailed by as many as seven, 21-14, and never got any closer than four for the remainder of the set.

The third set didn’t seem to get the Aggies down too much. They broke open the fourth set with a 4-0 spurt that put them in position to win the match after taking an 18-13 lead. Brewer and Pitt had kills during the run. The Bulldogs (1-23, 1-6 MEAC) did get within three, 21-18, on an Alexus Holt kill.

N.C. A&T then went on the attack. Wilson, junior Makaylah Elliot and Pitt, posted kills to give the Aggies a 24-19 lead. A Marshall attack error ended the Bulldogs’ night.

Elliot added nine kills and Wiggins had 12 assists for the Aggies. The Aggies will honor Wiggins Sunday before their 2 p.m. match against Savannah State at Moore Gymnasium as a part of Senior Day.

COURTESY NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION