DANVILLE, Va. — Averett University volleyball punched its ticket to the USA South Conference East Division championship match as the Cougars edged Meredith College 3-1 in a tight four-set battle in Wednesday's semifinal at the Grant Center.
 
East Division No. 2 seed Averett (12-6) will travel to play East Division No. 1 seed William Peace University on Saturday for the conference's divisional title.

To reach the championship, Averett had to fight past Meredith (9-5), the No. 3 seed in the East. The Cougars had their backs against the ropes several times, including the first set when the Avenging Angels had set point up 24-22. However, the Cougars side-stepped defeat with back-to-back kills from sophomores Lauren Montren and Morgan Barnes to even the score, and two Meredith errors helped Averett take the opening set 26-24.
 
Tied 20-20 in Set 2, Meredith five of the final six points to knot the match, 1-1, with a 25-21 win in the frame. That set up another thriller in Set 3.

Averett trailed 19-14 in the third frame, but just as the Cougars did in Set 1, they found a way. Averett took six of the next seven points to tie it, 20-20. The two rivals traded points to keep it tied at 23-23. The Cougars went to freshman Emma Nash for the final two points as part of her team-high 15 kills as Averett took a crucial 2-1 advantage in the match.

Set 4 was another nail-biter for most of the game. Tied 12-12, Averett used a 6-1 run to put some distance between itself and Meredith. The Avenging Angels got within four points twice before the Cougars got the knockout punch late for a 25-20 win in the fourth set to seal the match.

Nash hit .407 and added three total blocks. Montren matched her for the team lead with 15 kills to go along with a team-high 21 digs while hitting .314. Barnes also had a strong performance with 10 kills while hitting .409. Senior McKenzie Miller also had a double-double with 49 assists and 15 digs. The Cougars also got 14 digs and eight kills from junior Sarah Shropshire, eight kills and nine digs from junior Zamyiah Mangum and 13 digs from freshman Erin Gray.