UNCW Spikes Way To Win In Elon Volleyball Tourney Opener

ELON, N.C. - Senior Megan Nash and sophomore Rachael Caricato had nine kills apiece to lead UNC Wilmington to a 3-0 (25-18, 25-20, 25-18) victory over North Carolina A&T in the opener of the Elon Volleyball Classic Friday at Alumni Gym.

The Seahawks improved to 3-1 overall on the young season while the Aggies dropped to 0-5. It was the second win of the season for UNCW over North Carolina A&T, having defeated the Aggies 3-0 (25-18, 25-18-25-20) at last week's Battle at the Beach.

"Our middle blockers gave us some strong play today and Megan (Nash) gave us some great swings on the right side ," UNCW head coach Jennifer McCall said. "Give credit to A&T, they came out with a renewed energy and altered their game plan. We had to adjust and I believe that our aggressive serving made the difference."

Caricato recorded just one error in 16 total attempts for a .615 attack percentage while Nash committed just two miscues in 15 tries for a .467 hitting clip to lead a UNCW attack that hit .223 for the match. Junior Anna Price added eight kills and junior Paula McConnell chipped in five. Defensively, junior Anna Price had 11 digs and junior Lindsey Strucko added 10.

Janee Mitchell had a game-high 11 kills to lead the North Carolina A&T lineup. Avingnon Williams added eight kills while Jordan Gray doled out a game-high 24 assists. Tiffany Mellette recorded 10 digs

UNCW returns to action Saturday with a pair of contests at the Elon Volleyball Classic. The Seahawks take on Campbell at 10 a.m. before closing out the event with a 7 p.m. match versus host Elon. -Courtesy UNCW

-- Jesse Jones, CAPE FEAR SPORTS REPORT