DANVILLE, Va. – Averett University women's volleyball picked up its first win of the season on Day 2 of the 31st annual Cougar Classic, splitting matches with Bob Jones University and William Peace University. The Cougars defeated Bob Jones 3-1 and fell in straight sets to William Peace.
Averett (2-2) kicked off the day's action with a match against the Bruins of Bob Jones (1-3) in which the Cougars took a 3-1 win on their home court.
Set 1 started off with an intense run of back and forth play with points traded up to a score of 10-10. The Bruins ultimately found their footing first, pulling away and staving off an Averett come back to close out the first set, 25-21.
The tide turned in favor of the Cougars early on in the second set. Bob Jones tallied the first few points, but Averett rallied back to lead by as much as six in the set. The Bruins refused to go away quietly, drawing back well within striking distance, behind 24-23, before a kill from junior Allie Wilkerson slammed the door on Averett's match-tying Set 2 win.
The match's third set was headlined by the Cougars' performance during the middle stages of play. The teams traded blows early, playing their way to a 6-6 tie, before Averett opened up a 15-7 run to create some separation from their opposition. Bob Jones did just enough to keep the home fans attention, but would eventually succumb to the Cougars' pressure as the set wrapped up in favor of Averett, 25-22.
The deciding fourth set was a heavyweight battle from the opening serve to the final volley. The set featured a remarkable 12 ties and six lead changes as neither side could land the finishing blow late. That is until the Cougars clawed ahead, 29-28, and junior Sydney Mounce slotted a ball into a gap in the Bruins' defense to close out the inaugural win of Averett's season, and of head coach Emma Nash's career.
Mounce continued her strong start to the season offensively, tallying 17 kills in the first match alone. Fellow juniors Tahani Villines and Wilkerson were not far behind with 14 and 12 kills respectively. Senior setter Dayton Moore showed out, accumulating 30 assists, while freshman Adeline Fortenberry had 22. Sophomore libero Kyleigh Rains had 19 digs, Villines trailed with 18, and Moore had 10.
During the first set of the second match, William Peace jumped out to the lead quickly. The Cougars fought all the way back and were on the brink of winning the first set, up 24-20, before William Peace regained its composure and went on to take Set 1.
The Cougars and Pacers took turns taking leads in the second and third set. When one team was ahead, the other was within one point. The Cougars fought to keep pace with the Pacers, but ended up falling in straight sets to William Peace.
Villines led the Cougars' offense during the second match with nine kills, while Wilkerson added seven more to her day. Fortenberry orchestrated the offense with 14 assists, while Moore added 10 of her own. Rains and Moore carried the defense, tallying 14 and 12 digs respectively.
The Cougars hit the road on Friday when they travel to Raleigh, North Carolina, to face Maryville College at 5 p.m. and Meredith College at 7 p.m. as part of the Raleigh Crossover Tournament hosted by Meredith College. The Tournament carries over into Saturday, when Averett faces Oglethorpe University and William Peace University at 12 p.m. and 2 p.m.
FINAL SCORES
William Peace def. Roanoke 3-0 (25-19, 25-5, 25-17)
Guilford def. McMurry 3-1 (25-22, 25-16, 19-25, 25-15)
Bob Jones def. Methodist 3-2 (25-19, 21-25, 25-14, 19-25, 16-14)
McMurry def. Averett 3-2 (25-15, 25-17, 23-25, 15-25, 18-16)
Roanoke def. Bob Jones 3-1 (21-25, 25-17, 25-17, 25-10)
Methodist def. Averett 3-2 (14-25, 22-25, 25-14, 25-10, 15-6)
Guilford def. William Peace 3-0 (25-17, 25-20, 25-19)
McMurry def. Roanoke 3-1 (25-20, 20-25, 25-21, 25-14)
Methodist def. Guilford 3-1 (16-25, 25-20, 25-18, 25-23)
Averett def. Bob Jones 3-1 (21-25, 25-23, 25-22, 30-28)
Guilford def. Roanoke 3-0 (25-18, 25-18, 25-23)
McMurry def. Methodist 3-1 (25-18, 25-22,. 22-25, 25-18)
William Peace def. Bob Jones 3-0 (25-19, 26-24, 25-17)
