GREENSBORO, N.C. — William & Mary was defeated in four sets by North Carolina A&T on Saturday at Moore Gymnasium, falling 18-25, 25-15, 23-25, 20-25.

William & Mary (6-13, 1-7 CAA) initiated the first set with a strong offensive display, as Katherine Arnason and Audrey Brcka contributed significant kills, keeping the scoreline competitive early on. The team managed to close gaps multiple times, notably narrowing the margin to 8-9 with a kill by Devereaux Hoxsie. Despite maintaining pressure through solid plays, including a service ace by Avery Horejsi, the Green and Gold faced challenges from N.C. A&T's defense.

The set saw W&M respond with strategic plays but struggled to counter a series of scoring drives from N.C. A&T (9-8, 5-3 CAA), who extended their lead towards the end. Brcka's consistent performance, highlighted by timely kills, kept the visitor's score ticking. However, N.C. A&T capitalized on a few errors, closing the set at 25-18 in their favor.

W&M started the second set with a strong showing, building an early 3-0 lead with a service ace from Beatriz Silva and consecutive kills by Arnason. The team continued to capitalize on opponent errors and maintained momentum with contributions from Hoxsie, extending the lead to 7-2.

Midway through the set, the Green and Gold's balanced attack widened the gap further. Kills by Olivia Westfort and Brcka, combined with effective blocking, kept N.C. A&T at bay, bringing the score to 15-6. While N.C. A&T managed a few points, the Tribe responded swiftly with key plays from Nicole Smith and Silva, pushing the score to 21-10.

In the closing stages, W&M maintained their advantage despite a brief rally from N.C. A&T. Westfort's timely kills helped secure the set, and Horejsi delivered the final point, sealing a decisive 25-15 win.

The Tribe started the third set with momentum, gaining an early lead at 2-0 on a kill by Brcka and an attack error from N.C. A&T. Despite N.C. A&T leveling the score multiple times, the Green and Gold maintained their advantage with key contributions, including a service ace by Hoxsie to bring it to 11-10.

As the set progressed, the Tribe continued to press forward with Smith and Ryann Love securing points with kills, allowing them to edge slightly ahead. However, N.C. A&T responded, managing to tie the score at 19-19.

In the closing moments, despite a brief lead established by Brcka's kill and a service ace by Silva, N.C. A&T capitalized on a series of errors from W&M. The set concluded with a narrow 25-23 win for N.C. A&T, as Mikala Sampson delivered the final kill.

W&M began the fourth set with a block from Love against N.C. A&T's Tyne Ross, taking an early lead. The teams exchanged points, highlighted by kills from Westfort and Hoxsie, keeping the score close at 9-9. Arnason and Brcka contributed valuable points, but N.C. A&T gradually pulled ahead.

Despite a resilient effort from the Tribe, including a series of kills from Brcka and Arnason, N.C. A&T capitalized on W&M's errors to extend their lead. A brief comeback attempt saw the visitors close the gap to five points, but a service error ended the set at 25-20 in favor of N.C. A&T.

STAT NUGGETS

• Brcka had a double-double with 14 kills and 10 digs on a .314 hitting percentage.
• Arnason added 12 kills, hitting .333.
• Silva handed out 22 assists.
• Horejsi equaled her career-best with 29 digs.

UP NEXT
W&M will host Northeastern on Oct. 24 at Kaplan Arena. The match will begin at 5 p.m.