DANVILLE, Va. – Averett University women's volleyball pushed the visiting Washington and Lee [RV] Generals, but ultimately fell in a sweep to the visitors on Friday evening at the Grant Center.
Averett (4-14,2-8 ODAC) came out swinging first to a 4-1 lead, but Washington and Lee (17-3,8-1 ODAC) replied back to even the score at 4-4, then continued its run to lead 6-4. The Cougars hung around for the next few points, but the ranked side's success at the net proved strong. The Generals' advantage extended to 13-7, then another stretch of points saw them up 17-10 later on.
Senior outside
Sydney Mounce and senior middle hitter
Allie Lane recorded kills to cut the deficit to five, but Washington and Lee kept charging to set point. The visitors only needed to chance to close out set one, 25-19.
Set number two featured another competitive opening, as the Cougars took an early lead, before the Generals flipped the score and gained control. Both teams traded points until 5-5, where a pair of kills from Grace Mitchener helped the visitors build an 8-5 lead. Sophomore middle hitter/right side
Sydney Carbone added two kills of her own, plus a General serving error to bring Averett within one at 10-9. Three straight from Washington and Lee pushed its lead to 13-9.
The aforementioned advantage grew to 16-10, but Averett refused to go down quietly. Junior middle hitter/right side
Emily Phillips recorded a kill, and then another that had the Cougars only down 21-14. Three more strong offensive points from the Cougars shrunk the Generals' lead to 21-17. The two squads split the next four, before Washington and Lee finished out the set 25-20.
The Generals then took said momentum into the following set, as they established their largest set lead of the match at 12-3. Averett roared back on a 7-0 run, four of which came from sophomore setter/right side
Laney Beaver. Following a timeout from the visitors, Washington and Lee won eight out of the next nine points to reestablish a large advantage at 20-11, and held off a late Cougar surge to take the sweep, 25-16.
Mounce and Phillips stood atop the Averett kill leaderboard with six apiece; the latter having hit .500 in the match. Three Cougars recorded a duo of block assists, which included Phillips, Lane, and Carbone.
Mounce fell a dig shy of 20 on the night, while senior outside hitter
Tahani Villines had 15, and freshman setter
Hannah Batista recorded 12.
Averett hosts its Senior Day tomorrow morning, Oct. 24, before its matinee against Bridgewater College [RV]. First serve is set for 11 a.m.
