RALEIGH, N.C. — In a showcase between the top two teams in the USA South's North Division, Meredith College came out with a victory in an intense 3-2 clash over the Averett University volleyball team, snapping its seven-game winning streak. The Cougars fell 25-15, 23-25, 25-19, 23-25 and 16-18.
 
After defeating Meredith (14-6, 9-1 USA South) earlier in the season, the Cougars became the only undefeated team in the conference's North Division, so this time around, the Avenging Angels were looking for revenge.
 
Averett (15-8, 7-1 USA South) dominated Meredith in the first set as it took a commanding 13-4 lead with seven straight points and three aces from sophomore outside hitter Hannah Shields. She ended the night with five of them and also notched a double-double with 29 kills to lead all players along with 10 digs.  
 
The second set had a much faster pace than the first, and the Angels were quick with putting and keeping the ball in play. Meredith gained an 18-12 advantage, its largest lead of the match, but the Cougars crept back and benefitted from the Angels' attacking errors to put the game within one point. Meredith walked away with a win, but the Cougars later sailed to a third set victory for a 2-1 edge going into the fourth period.
 
While Averett won its two sets by a decent margin, all of Meredith's wins came in close contests.
 
"When we played hard all the time, we won pretty easily," Averett head coach Danny Miller said.
 
Just like the second frame, it was a back-and-forth battle in the final periods.  
 
The game was tied 14 times in the fourth set, and sophomore middle hitter Jessica Sheek came in big with two consecutive blocks assisted by hitters Sarah Smoot and Jordan Pitzer, and immediately after, Smoot nailed a hit to knot the game at 18. She chipped in 11 kills for the Cougars and Sheek finished with four blocks.
 
Karlie Long, who is the second leading scorer in the conference behind Shields, was the driving force for the Angels in the last two sets. After a slow night, she registered 16 kills for Meredith with 14 in the fourth and fifth set combined.
 
"Meredith played hard and had a consistent game plan. We knew what they were going to do, and we couldn't stop it," Miller said.
 
In the fifth set, the teams traded points in eight different possessions, but with a service error from Averett and a tie game at 16, Meredith's Keegan Lynch sealed the match with back-to-back aces.
 
Christiana Summa added 10 digs for Averett as Pitzer put up eight kills.
 
Meredith's win put the squad at the top spot in the USA South North Division with Averett in second and two games behind.      

Averett travels to Lookout Mountain, Georgia, on Saturday, Oct. 10 to play in a quad-match. The Cougars will take on host Covenant College at 10 a.m. and Maryville College at 2 p.m.