DANVILLE, Va. – The Averett University women's volleyball team bounced back from an opening-set defeat to grind past Guilford College, 3-1, at the Grant Center on Tuesday to conclude its home and ODAC slate in 2026.
Guilford (7-20, 3-9 ODAC) controlled the opening frame, as it jumped out to a 5-1 lead, but Averett (5-15, 3-9 ODAC) hung around to tie the set at 11-all. A 9-4 run in favor of the Quakers had them up 20-16, then they dominated the closing stages by winning the last five points for a 25-16 set win.
In arguably the Cougars' most thrilling set in 2026, neither team could get ahead of the other, but Guilford held a 13-11 lead near the midway point. Three straight points, which included a kill from senior outside hitter Tahani Villines, turned the tide for the home team, up 14-13 in the blink of an eye.
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Guilford hung around and used a 3-0 run at the 18-17 mark to turn the set in its favor again, and momentum brought the Quakers to set point at 24-21. Down but not out, Averett miraculously won four consecutive points, with kills from junior middle hitter/right side Emily Phillips and senior outside Sydney Mounce to reach a set point of its own. Guilford fought and attained three more set points late, but the Cougars defended each time to deny a two-set deficit.
Facing yet another set-point deficit at 29-28, senior middle hitter Allie Lane took matters into her own hands, first with a kill to tie the set, then finished a booming comeback with two straight service aces. Averett won a 31-29 second-period thriller and tied the US-29 rivalry at one set apiece.
Resilience from the Quakers early in the third set proved strong, as the visitors held an 8-6 lead, but a resounding 14-1 run from the Cougars flipped the match on its head. A 19-9 advantage would not be chipped into by Guilford, and Averett won the third in convincing fashion, 25-15.
In that period, the Cougars tallied a .429 team hitting percentage, with 15 kills to just three errors.
In a similarly paced fourth period, the visitors once more held an early lead, but not before the home team generated buzz with a streak of points to take over its own advantage. Down 6-3, Averett won six straight points, but the two teams entered a stalemate from then on.
Level at 10-10, the Cougars rallied to win nine of the next 12 points, with a trio of kills from Mounce assisting in the charge. Smooth play from Averett helped it maintain its lead, and in a slight déjà vu moment from set number two, Lane helped to seal the team win with two kills. The match ended with a 25-19 set win.
Villines tallied one of her best hitting percentages of the season, as she recorded a match-high 15 kills at a .433 clip. Lane and Mounce both tallied 10 kills, the former hitting .368. The setting duo of senior Megan Litman and freshman Hannah Batista both recorded 20 assists on the evening, and Litman also led the Cougars in digs with 12.
The best hitter in terms of qualified hitting percentage went to Phillips, as she hit a resounding .700 with eight kills and tied for the team lead in total blocks with four, alongside sophomore setter/right side Laney Beaver.
