DANVILLE, Va. — Averett University volleyball held off Meredith College for a 3-1 victory on Wednesday night at the Grant Center. The Cougars won 25-23, 25-18, 21-25 and 25-17.

For Averett (15-12, 9-4 USA South), it was a crucial divisional win over Meredith (17-6, 9-2 USA South), which currently leads the USA South Conference North Division. Both of Meredith's conference losses have come at the hands of the Cougars.

The Cougars fought off the Avenging Angels in the opening set. Tied 23-23, freshman Hannah Shields got a kill, and freshman Jessica Sheek's service ace sealed the 25-23 win.

Averett and Meredith played a close second set, but the Cougars were able to pull away late. Up 21-18, Averett got two kills from freshman Sarah Smoot with a service ace from freshman Christiana Summa in between to give the Cougars set point. A Meredith attacking error put Averett ahead 2-0 in the match.

Meredith was able to force a fourth set after coming on strong in the third frame. With Averett ahead 18-15, the Angels won 10 of the final 13 points. Averett, however, regained its momentum in the fourth set, building an 8-2 lead. Shields clinched the match point with a kill, her team-best 24th of the evening.

Smoot added 16 kills, while Sheek and sophomore Brittany Daley each had eight and junior Leslie Fulton added seven kills for Averett, which ended the night with a .324 hitting percentage. Senior Nicole Barringer led the team with 14 digs and 55 assists, while Summa and Katelyn Holley finished with 13 digs and 12 digs, respectively. Shields added nine digs.

Averett's win completed a regular-season sweep of the Avenging Angels. The Cougars also beat Meredith 3-2 on a neutral court in Fayetteville, North Carolina, on Sept. 20.

The Cougars return to action on Saturday with a pair of conference matches in LaGrange, Georgia. Averett takes on Huntingdon College and host LaGrange College.