DANVILLE, Va. – Trailing by two sets to none, Averett University women's volleyball nearly leapt its way from the jaws of defeat in its first match of 2026, but fell in a gritty five-setter to visitors Bob Jones University to open up the 32nd Annual Cougar Classic on Friday night at E. Stuart James Grant Center.
Averett (0-1) went tooth and nail with Bob Jones (1-3) in the opening set. No team on either end led by more than three points, and it remained that way until the Bruins broke away late with a streak of kills to steal the set from the Cougars.
The following set followed a similar script, but went a different direction as soon as Averett strung together a 6-0 run at 10-10 to reach its largest advantage. It looked to be a tie match until the visitors went on their own comeback and took the lead for themselves. A 12-2 swing flipped the stanza on its head, and Bob Jones never looked back and seized a two-set advantage.
Not to be counted out yet, the Cougars recorded their best hitting set as a collective in the third, a .387 clip to march right back. Combined with 14 kills, Averett rode its way to a 25-18 set win.
Ten-plus kills were recorded for the fourth straight set on the home side, but thanks to the help of a set-high seven errors out of the Bruins, the Cougars utilized that to secure a 25-20 fourth set and forced a do-or-die fifth.
Back and forth the two sides went in the decider, with Bob Jones up big midway through at 9-5, but a 7-2 run in favor of the Cougars swung the set around in a flash. Averett held two match points at 14-12, but Bob Jones showed its own might and escaped the Grant Center with four straight points to end up on top.
Senior outside hitter Tahani Villines led all players with 18 kills at a .333 percentage, and also served out a quality outing with five service aces. Villines also showed on the defensive end with 20 digs. Fellow senior outside Sydney Mounce recorded 13 kills as the other Cougar in double figures.
First-year setter Hannah Batista manned the Averett offense to the tune of 14 assists, and junior middle hitter/right side Emily Phillips had three total blocks.
The Cougars finish the Cougar Classic tomorrow at the Grant Center with a pair of matches against Salem College and Greensboro College. Action for the two begins at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., respectively.
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Averett University
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