The North Carolina A&T volleyball team got its first win of the season this weekend agaainst Winston-Salem State 3-1 (25-11, 17-25, 25-21, 25-22). The victory marks first-year head coach Toni Conway’s first win as an Aggie.

A number of other milestones were accomplished in the win.Senior Janae Mitchell recorded her fifth career double-double with 11 digs and a career-high 14 kills. Senior Tiffany Mellette also recorded career-highs when she collected 20 digs and five service aces. Junior Amber Inman set her career mark of assists with 36.

From the first set it appeared as if the Aggies were about to have a great match. They dominated early with a 6-0 run to take an 11-4 lead. WSSU won the second set, but weren’t able to pull out anymore from there.

The third set was a back-and -forth volley on the scoreboard until a Mellette kill gave the Aggies some momentum  closing it out. The final set was challenging  for the Ladies but they were still able win 24-18.

“We need wins to build our confidence back up, and this was a good start,” said Inman.

The Aggies were in the hunt for another win a few hours later when they played N.C. Central later that day. The Lady Aggies pushed Central to the edge but came up short.

Mitchell, however, set her career mark of kills for the second time in the day with 15. This inspired her teammate.

“[She] being our captain, one of them, shows leadership, puts the ball down every time she goes up to the net,” defensive specialist Amber Inman said. “She is my most dependable player.

The Lady Aggies will try to obtain another when they host High Point on October 6. 

• Prince Askew