BUENA VISTA, Va. — The Averett University volleyball team started its 2015 season on a strong note, picking up a 3-1 win over host Southern Virginia University before edging Old Dominion Athletic Conference favorite Washington and Lee University 3-2 on Tuesday.

Averett (2-0) opened with the victory over Southern Virginia (0-2), knocking off the Knights 25-15, 25-19, 29-31 and 25-21. The Cougars held double-digit leads in each of the first two sets. Southern Virginia rallied in the third set to force another, but Averett prevailed in that one by pulling away late. Sophomore Hannah Shields, coming off a freshman season in which she earned a number of accolades including American Volleyball Coaches Association All-America Honorable Mention, picked up right where she left off. She totaled 28 kills and 10 digs to help lead Averett's attack. Sophomore Sarah Smoot added 10 kills and sophomore Christiana Summa led the team with 15 digs. Freshman setter Keenan Marks finished with 45 assists.

The Cougars followed up that win with a solid non-conference victory over Washington and Lee (1-1). After taking the first set 25-23, Averett dropped the next two sets 25-22 and 25-19. The Cougars showed resiliency, however, by holding off the Generals 25-19 to force a deciding fifth set. In that final frame, Washington and Lee jumped ahead 8-4. Yet, Averett benefitted from a blocking error, two attacking errors and a kill by junior Brittany Daley to tie the game at 8-8. Averett went in front 11-9, prompting the Generals to call timeout. Although it worked briefly to halt Averett's run, the Cougars won four of the final five points to seal the victory and complete the tri-match sweep.

Shields led Averett with 16 kills and Smoot finished with 10 kills. Senior Katelyn Holley tallied a team-best 16 digs, with Summa making 12 digs. Marks had 36 assists. Freshman Keyla Jones added a team-high four blocks.

Averett returns home to host its 21st annual Cougar Classic Sept. 5-6 at the Grant Center.