Averett’s volleyball team falls just short of USA South title

By Jason Wolf

Published: November 10, 2008

NEWPORT NEWS — Averett University players briefly began celebrating when Brittany Moore smacked the ball over the net late in the grueling second set.

Nationally-ranked Christopher Newport somehow saved the point, won it for itself and went on to take the game and eventually the USA South Conference championship 25-16, 25-23, 25-13 on Saturday night in Newport News. With the victory, the No. 21-ranked Captains captured the conference’s automatic bid into the NCAA Division III tournament.

“Averett did a really nice job. They mixed in a lot of different shots and their defense is phenomenal. They did a really good job of slowing us down,” CNU coach Lindsay Birch said. “I’m truly blessed to be in a position to have a nice crop of talent on our team. It’s all about them. They work hard. They have a lot of ability. … They’ve really stepped up to challenges this year and it’s made it very rewarding.”

CNU (33-6) is undefeated in conference play since falling to Averett in the conference championship match in five sets in 2006. Averett (17-20), playing for its second conference title in three years, put up quite a fight against the vastly talented Captains, especially in the second game.

“We came into the game knowing that we didn’t have anything to lose,” Averett co-captain and all-tournament first-team selection Meredith Schwane said. “At the beginning of the season, no one really expected much from us this year and I think we were fired up coming into the game knowing that this was ours to take.”

Led by co-captain Jordan Maupin, who finished with 11 kills and nine digs and was named to the all-tournament team, the Cougars rallied from a 9-3 deficit to take a 12-11 lead and force a CNU timeout. Averett, which had rattled off six straight points, allowed the Captains to take control coming out of the stoppage, but kept the game close – even forcing a tie at 23-23.

Moore, a Bartlett Yancey graduate who finished with five kills and 10 digs, nearly provided the Cougars with a lead and set them up for game point – except the Captains managed to return the shot.

“It’s 23-23 and Brittany hits the ball and it goes in between the blocker and the net – usually … you expect to get a call on the carry to put us up 24-23, but they don’t make the call, they win the point,” Averett coach Danny Miller said. “I’m not blaming the referees, but it’s just one of those things. Sports, you know. … You win that second set and it’s 1-1, that’s a completely different match.”

Schwane finished with 15 digs to pace the Cougars. Jesse Jones added 12 digs and 22 assists and Tunstall grad Marie Keatts and Brandy Apple added 13 and 10 digs, respectively.

Ellen Koch led the Captains with 10 kills and 15 digs. Jessie Heavenrich added 20 assists and Allison Wolfe had nine kills and 16 digs in being named tournament MVP. All three of those players, and Liz Bush, who had eight kills, were named to the all-tournament team. Mary Horner also added 15 digs for CNU.

The Captains blew Averett away to begin the third set, taking a 12-5 advantage to force the Cougars to take a time out.

“When we went down two (games to none), we started that third set and it kind of got in our heads, ‘Oh no, we’re in trouble,’” Miller said. “That’s when I called the two quick timeouts and got on them and told them, I said, ‘This is the first time I felt like you all quit.’ And we played well from then on, but the problem was we just got too far down it was hard to come back.”