EAST GREENSBORO – North Carolina A&T recorded its record-breaking 12^th Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) win on Friday as they defeated Bethune-Cookman 3-0 (25-16, 12, 15) at Moore Gymnasium.

The Aggies volleyball team improved to 13-12 overall and 12-1 in the MEAC. Those 12 wins break the program's single-season record for MEAC wins.

“We haven't really talked about our record and looking at those types of things this year,” said N.C. A&T coach Hal Clifton. “I'm excited for the program and for the team and the work that they put forth.”

The three Aggie seniors came up big on Senior Day. Before the match, the Aggies honored middle hitter Makaylah Elliott (6-foot, Charlotte, N.C.), outside hitter Leila Haynesworth (5-11, Mechanicsville, Va.) and outside hitter Christa Wilson (5-9, Raleigh, N.C.).

Elliott had nine kills, four blocks and a .750 hitting percentage. Elliott didn't commit an error on 12 swings.

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“Elliott did a really nice job at the net,” said Clifton. “She was really focused today, and she took some really nice swings, which was good to see out of her. She made some good decisions and I thought Christa and Leila did a really good job on the left side. They were hitting the right shots and that's good to see. They're making good decisions and they're trying to do the right things.”

Wilson finished with13 digs and Haynesworth added four kills.

“We have a good senior group,” Clifton said.  “We're really happy for the effort that they put forth tonight.  They've done really well all year.  It was good for them to get out there and compete and play and our team was very excited for our seniors.  They knew how much this meant for them.”

Sophomore right side hitter Fatimah Shabazz tied with Elliott with nine kills and four blocks. Sophomore libero Andrea Laboy-Rivera led the team with 14 digs and six service aces to go along with five assists.

Junior setter/right side Edie Brewer nearly recorded another triple-double with a team-high 20 assists, 10 digs and eight kills to go along with two service aces and a .294 hitting percentage. Freshman setter Addy Warfield added 12 assists.

With the scored tied at 5 in the opening set, the Aggies scored 10 consecutive points with Laboy-Rivera serving that included three Shabazz kills, two Haynesworth kills and three Laboy-Rivera service aces to take a 15-5 lead.

The Aggies cruised from there eventually taking a 24-14 lead. Bethune-Cookman (8-22, 5-8 MEAC) did get back-to-back points to cut the lead to 24-16, but an Elliott kill gave the Aggies the set.

Two Brewer kills and a two service aces by Pitt helped the Aggies jump out to a 10-6 lead in the second set. The Aggies then put together a 5-1 run energized by a Laboy-Rivera ace and a Wilson kill to jump ahead by eight, 15-7.

The Wildcats did get to within seven at 17-10, but the Aggies put together another spurt as points from Shabazz, Brewer and Warfield were a part of a 7-1 run that gave N.C. A&T a 24-11 lead. The set ended on a Brewer kill.

In the final frame, N.C. A&T took control after an 8-3 outburst gave them a 17-8 lead following two kills from Elliott, a service ace apiece from Laboy-Rivera and Brewer and a kill from Warfield.

The Wildcats scored the next two points to cut the lead to seven points, 17-10, but the Aggies scored the next three points to increase the lead to 10 points, 20-10 after two Shabazz kills and an Elliott service ace.

Bethune-Cookman scored the next three points to cut the lead to seven points, but the Aggies scored five of the final seven points to win the set by 15 and to win the match.

“I thought that we played really well,” said Clifton. “I thought that we played hard and fast, which was something that we've been talking about, setting the tone, setting the pace and setting the tempo. I thought our ladies were hungry right out of the gate and that kind of let us to a lot of energy on the court.”

The Wildcats were led by Miranda White with six kills.

The Aggies finish the regular season with Florida A&M Sunday at 1 p.m. in Moore Gymnasium.