DANVILLE, Va. – Averett University women's volleyball led early on in a Tuesday night matchup versus North Carolina Wesleyan University, but fell late in a 3-1 loss at the Grant Center.
Set one went to the good of Averett (0-4). With 15 kills at an above 20-percent clip, the Cougars survived N.C. Wesleyan (2-3) in a tightly-knotted opening stanza, as they took it 25-22.
Equally as close in the second, both squads hit similarly well in their hitting percentage, but the Battling Bishops held the edge in kills, 17-13. Nearly mirrored to the first set, the two remained close until the end, with Averett having had a set point at 24-23. The visitors replied straight back to tie, then closed it out with two kills as the match went to the third in a tie score.
N.C. Wesleyan broke through in the third set with the contest's largest margin yet with a 25-16 win. Averett attempted valiantly force a fifth, but the Battling Bishops' 16 kills and their .364 hitting percentage proved too much to overcome, as the match ended in favor of the visitors.
Senior outside hitter
Tahani Villines recorded 12 kills to lead her squad, along with a team-high 17 digs on the evening. Senior middle hitter
Allie Lane hit .389 with seven kills, along with three assisted blocks.
Freshman setter/right side
Hannah Batista set a new career-high in assists with 20, and senior outside hitter
Sydney Mounce notched a double-double with 12 digs and 11 kills.
Averett concludes the week's action with a home bout versus Pfeiffer University on Thursday, Sept. 10. Start time is set for 6 p.m.
