DANVILLE, Va. — Averett University volleyball remained unbeaten with a 3-1 non-conference victory over Virginia Wesleyan University on Tuesday night at the Grant Center. The Cougars won 25-18, 28-30, 25-14 and 25-22.

Averett (5-0) overcame a slow start in the opening set by rattling off a 10-1 rally to take a 19-3 lead. Although Virginia Wesleyan (3-2) pulled within 21-18, the Cougars won the final four points to go ahead 1-0 in the match.

The Cougars took that momentum into Set 2, jumping ahead 10-6. Yet, Virginia Wesleyan bounced back and went ahead 22-17. Facing set point, Averett scored four consecutive points to push the game to extra points. The Marlins, however, prevailed 30-28 in the thrilling back-and-forth finish.

Averett didn't mess around in Set 3, racing out to a 10-3 advantage — forcing Virginia Wesleyan to burn a timeout. It didn't hamper the Cougars from pulling away 25-14 while hitting .320 for the frame.

In the fourth set, Averett led 11-6 before Virginia Wesleyan surged ahead 15-13. Averett regained its form to retake the lead 20-17, and the Cougars held on down the stretch for the 25-22 win, sealing the match.

Senior Hannah Shields notched a double-double with 18 kills and 14 digs while hitting .357. Sophomore Brianna Williams, who was named the USA South Conference Player of the Week on Monday, also had a strong performance with 13 kills and a .476 hitting percentage. Junior libero Emily Stanley notched a team-high 16 digs and four service aces, and freshman McKenzie Miller — this week's USA South Rookie of the Week — added 23 assists and 12 digs. Junior Keenan Marks recorded a team-high 24 assists in the win.

The win over Virginia Wesleyan was Averett's final warm-up before a weekend of strong competition at the University of Mary Washington's tournament, which features one ranked team (No. 7 Mary Washington) and two teams (Randolph-Macon College and Johns Hopkins University) receiving at least two votes in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Top 25.