EAST GREENSBORO (September 30, 2018) –North Carolina A&T got its super sensational sophomore combination back on the court together and then used a team effort defensively to sweep Bethune-Cookman 3-0 (25-21, 22, 22) at Moore Gymnasium Sunday afternoon.

The win gave the Aggies (6-9, 1-1 MEAC) their first Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference victory of the season. It also marked the Aggies first sweep of Bethune-Cookman since Oct. 27, 2006 in Daytona Beach, Fla. Their last sweep of the Wildcats at home was Sept. 24, 2005.

Getting sophomore Edie Brewer back did not hurt N.C. A&T's efforts. Brewer, the versatile right side/setter, missed Friday's loss to Florida A&M at Moore due to injury. She reunited with fellow sophomore Courteney Pitt to torment the Wildcats (7-9, 0-2 MEAC). Brewer finished with 36 assists, seven digs, three blocks and three kills.

Pitt had another 20-plus kill performance as she hammered 21 kills to the Moore Gym floor on Sunday on 50 attack attempts to secure a .320 hitting percentage. It was her fourth 20-kill performance of the season. The Aggies defense was the key, however. Junior Makaylah Elliot finished with three blocks at the net and freshman Andrea Laboy-Rivera took care of the back row with a season-high 27 digs.

“I liked our team defense and the adjustments we had to make against their offense,” said N.C. A&T coach Hal Clifton. “Conference is tough. It was good to get the win at home.”

The Aggies, who are one of the best teams in the MEAC in opponent hitting percentage, held the Wildcats to a .132 hitting percentage on Sunday. B-CU's hitting percentage in the first was .105. But it was the Aggies offense that led them to the first-set win. The Aggies called timeout with the set tied at 21.

When they returned to the court, junior Leila Haynesworth greeted the Wildcats with a cross-court kill to give the Aggies a 22-21 lead. Junior Christa Wilson's two service aces were complemented by a Pitt kill to close out the set for N.C. A&T.

Elliot took over set No. 2. It was her solo block that put the Aggies ahead 21-20. After a B-CU attack error, Elliot gave the Aggies a 23-20 lead with a kill. A solo block from Haynesworth put the Aggies on the brink of taking a two-set lead. The Wildcats prevented that from happening immediately with a kill from Jordan Jefferson and an Aggies attack error. But Elliot made it a reality with her fourth kill of the set. She had no attack errors on five attempts in the second.  

“The team executed when we needed to and that was big,” said Clifton. “We were able to win the point that had to be won.”

The outside hitting duo of Pitt and Haynesworth put the Wildcats away for good. The third set did not start well for N.C. A&T, however. The Bulldogs took an 11-6 lead on an Aggies attack error. The Aggies trailed by as many as seven at 14-7. The Aggies got back into the set with a 4-0 run highlighted by two Pitt kills the Aggies used to get to within two at 15-13.

Haynesworth and Pitt helped the Aggies tie the set at 19 with back-to-back kills. Back-to-back kills again from Haynesworth and Pitt gave the Aggies their first lead of the set at 22-21. After a Wildcats timeout, the same pattern followed. Pitt scored on a successful attack followed by a Haynesworth kill. Pitt appeared to have the match won with another kill but instead had her attack ruled out of bounds. No matter, Pitt just returned with her 11thkill of the set to give the Aggies the win.

Haynesworth had five kills and no attack errors on 10 attempts in the decisive set. She had 12 kills and a .241 hitting percentage for the match.

“It was a solid win against a very good opponent. I felt like we put together a solid match,” said Clifton. “Today, we served and passed well, and I think that made a difference.”

The Aggies go on the road for the first time in conference play on Friday, Oct. 5 when they face S.C. State in Orangeburg, S.C. at 6 p.m. They will follow that with a 1 p.m. match against Savannah State in Savannah, Ga., on Sunday, Oct. 7.