Box Score | Bracket

WASHINGTON, D.C., Nov. 17, 2018—North Carolina A&T State upset Southern Division top seed Florida A&M Saturday evening in Burr Gymnasium, defeating the Lady Rattlers 3-1 (25-20, 25-23, 17-25, 26-24) in the semifinals of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Volleyball Championships.
 
The Aggies will play in the championship match on Sunday at 8 p.m. against either Bethune-Cookman or Howard. The match will be broadcast live on ESPNU and ESPN3.
 
North Carolina A&T State will be seeking its first MEAC tournament title.
 
“I don’t even know where to begin,” Aggies head coach Hal Clifton said. “That was a huge battle tonight. I’m so proud of these girls, all the fight they have, embracing the opportunity that adversity represents.”
 
After the Aggies took the first two sets – including a tightly-contested second set that went all the way to 25-23 – Florida A&M bounced back in the third set. The Lady Rattlers hit .344 as a team in that frame, committing just three errors on 32 swings in forcing a fourth set.
 
But the Aggies remained calm in the huddle between sets.
 
“I didn’t really have to say anything, honestly,” Clifton said. “Our players do a really good job of taking it upon themselves to make decisions for themselves. They know just what to say and who to say it to in the moment. I just wanted them to stay positive, just focusing on the next point.”
 
North Carolina A&T State hit .273 in the third set, a tight back-and-forth affair that saw Florida A&M tie things at 24-24. But the Aggies scored the last two points to clinch the set, the match and a spot in Sunday’s finale.