DANVILLE, Va. — Averett University volleyball suffered a heartbreaking 3-2 loss to Covenant College in the USA South Conference Tournament championship held Saturday at Averett's Grant Center. The Scots battled back from a 2-0 deficit to win in five sets.
Covenant (24-7) won 13-25, 17-25, 25-22, 28-26 and 15-10 to earn a trip to the NCAA Tournament.
Averett (32-4), the USA South East Division champion, came out strong with a dominant performance in the opening set against the Scots, the USA South West Division regular season champion. Tied 10-10, Averett won 10 of the next 11 points to pull away and take a 1-0 lead in the match.
The Cougars inched out to an 8-4 lead in Set 2 before gaining more momentum with another solid run. Averett's 7-2 run made it 15-8, and another four-point spurt moments later helped add cushion as the Cougars eventually pulled away to win the set and pull within one game of winning the championship.
However, Covenant showed its resiliency. The Scots led for most of the third set — albeit with the Cougars on their heels. Averett closed to within 22-21 late before Covenant stayed alive with a 25-22 win.
Averett appeared unfazed by the third set loss as the Cougars raced out to an 11-4 advantage in the fourth frame. Down 20-16, Covenant battled back to tie it at 21-21. The two conference foes traded points back and forth, but a kill by senior Hannah Shields made it 24-23 — giving the Cougars the first of two match point opportunities. Yet, it never came to fruition. Covenant avoided the elimination point both times before squeaking out the fourth set 28-26 to force a deciding fifth set.
The Scots used that momentum to jump out to a 4-0 lead in the fifth frame. Although Averett battled from behind, Covenant led 8-5 at the switch. The Cougars then rallied for three consecutive points to tie it at 8-8. Two service errors over the next three points hurt Averett and allowed Covenant to extend its lead to 14-9. The Cougars got a kill to get within 14-10, but an attacking error sealed the match for Covenant, giving the Scots the tournament championship.
Averett's Shields, junior Keenan Marks and sophomore Brianna Williams earned a spot on the USA South All-Tournament Team.
Shields had a double-double of 22 kills and 17 digs along with four service aces to lead the Cougars. Senior Sarah Smoot added 13 kills, while Williams had five kills and four blocks. Senior Lynsey Corriher also chipped in seven kills. Marks finished with a team-high 25 assists to go with 13 digs. Junior Emily Stanley had a team-high 23 digs and freshman McKenzie Miller had 21 assists and 14 digs.
