Swannanoa, N.C. — Averett men's volleyball picked up its first win of the 2026 campaign as the Cougars split Friday's tri-match action.
Averett (1-2) picked up a win over Warren Wilson College to secure win number one on the season. The Cougars handled business against the Owls (0-2) in convincing fashion, earning a 3-1 victory with scores of: 25-18, 24-26, 25-19, and 25-18. Sophomore Liam Audrain led the team with 12 kills in the match, while sophomore Yerai Collazo trailed closely behind with 11 kills of his own. Freshman Luke Brown turned in a dominant performance as the maestro of Averett's attack, tallying 31 of the teams 36 total assists. Audrain and freshman Chuck Freedman tied for the team high in digs, with each player accounting for 13 digs in the match.
The Cougars' opening match of the day came against Division II Newberry College. The Wolves (1-2) handed Averett a straight set loss: 25-16, 25-23, and 25-19. Collazo wreaked havoc in the match, totaling 16 kills with a .464 hitting percentage. Brown led the way with 25 assists, and freshman Julian Hernandez led the way with 12 digs.
Averett has another tri-match on deck, but takes a long pause before hitting the court again. The Cougars' have a date with Lehman College and Gallaudet University set for Saturday, Feb. 7, at 1 and 3 p.m., with Gallaudet playing host for Averett's trip to the nation's capitol.
